Chapter 6

As Darius hung up his phone, he turned back around to Marcus who was held against the wall by magical chains that restricted not only his movement but his Mythic abilities as well. Marcus snarled at him as his solid black eyes glowed eerily. “You have no power over me, Ahriman. You know this. Release Marcus and let me talk to him.”

Marcus hissed before his eyes turned back to normal. “Darius. I can't control him any longer. He's too strong, too powerful. There's no way to save me. You have to destroy him,” he stated in a panic.

“Thea is dying, Marcus. We need what he stole,” Darius pressed.

“There’s only one way. No!” he suddenly screamed. His eyes turned back and forth from black to normal before once again becoming normal even though Marcus appeared considerably weaker. “The Incantation... of the Ahriman... High Lord. It’s the only way...” Marcus gasped. “Tell Kira... I love... her... and I'm... sorry.”

As Marcus suddenly gasped, his eyes turned to black and Darius knew that he was no more. The Ahriman had destroyed him. “You’ll never have what doesn’t belong to you. It’s mine!”

Ignoring his snarls, Darius, knowing the incantation that Marcus spoke of, started to speak in ancient Daemoni saying:

*Regnum aem ya Regnorum*
(Kingdom of the Realms)
*Zirdh praises qae ya aera s'ae iz oxaewa uz ozz*
(Sing praises to the one who is above us all)
*Kiwa uz ya daelabbi qae*
(Give us the power to)
*Nachoza qae ya nihil aera yoq iz uz ozz*
(Release to the nothingness one that is us all)
*Ya aera yoq yorraeq xa salvared*
(The one that cannot be saved)
*Yiz maledictus eris Ahriman*
(This cursed Ahriman)
*Sa s'ae furatus yoq zued xa liber*
(He who stole that must be freed)
*Nachoza qae uz yoq s'ikh loz aquæ furtivæ*
(Release to us that which was stolen)
*Zae yoq ya benedixitque aera la zoes zota s'aech*
(So that the blessed one we may make whole)
*Xa kaera maledictus eris Ahriman oth nayaiw*
(Be gone cursed Ahriman and receive)
*Ya Venenum aem Perditio Aeterna*
(The Poison of Eternal Perdition)
*Xa kaera!* (Be gone!)

Over and over Darius repeated the incantation as the Ahriman screamed and snarled. Over and over he continued until suddenly a bottle appeared before the Ahriman and out of him poured a multi-colored light that filled the bottle as the Ahriman screamed. Once all of the light had been extracted, the bottle floated before Darius as the Ahriman vanished into nothing.

Grabbing the bottle into his hand he closed his eyes and realized he no longer felt his Thea. “No! I will not lose her as well!” he growled as he ran from the room.

~~*~~

Celia, who maintained her connection to Thea by holding onto her hand, turned to Damian and said, "Thea's mind is very damaged and she’s getting weaker by the moment. She’s stopped responding at all to me... I don’t know how much longer she’s going to hold on.”

“We need to help her. We need to provide her the strength she will need for me to put back what the Ahriman took. The process alone could kill her in her weakened state if we don’t give her something to cling to.”

“What if you used me to connect to her, to see her psychically?” Celia suggested.

“That might just work. She and I already have a bond through not only our mating but also through our linked essence. She can use that connection to hold on.” Turning towards the medical staff that was nervously moving around, he realized he was still in his Daemoni state. Transforming into his human form, Damian ordered, “Bring a second bed near Theanna immediately.”

“You are really good at taking control and being a leader,” Celia commented with a small smile as the staff scurried to obey.

“I didn’t realize I was still in my Daemoni form. You didn’t react with fear during this time... why?”

“Actually, it makes me nervous on an instinctual level but my common sense overrides that fear. You love Theanna deeply. You would never hurt or upset her by hurting me. Thus there’s no reason to fear you.”

“It’s so refreshing to meet a human who’s so logical. No wonder my Zoqa loves you so much.”

“I’ve always meant to ask her what that word means... Zoqa.”

“Beloved. It can also mean, Mate.”

“And Dnirya?”

“Prince or Cherished One, depending on tone and context.” As the staff finished setting up the bed he climbed on and held Thea’s hand in his own.

As Celia watched him she instructed, “Right now she has almost no memories. Don't be surprised if obstacles or guardians try to keep you from her but avoid a battle with them at all cost. Harming or weakening them will almost surely kill her.”

Damian nodded. "My goal is to gain her trust and thus to give her the strength to continue holding on, using me as her connection."

“Physical contact between the three of us is key so don’t let go of her hand. Ready?"

"Ready." As Damian closed his eyes, he suddenly found himself walking on clouds that were soft and beautiful. Slowly they began to part to reveal the most beautiful of park-like scenes. As he stepped into that scene, the grass beneath his bare feet was lush and soft. There were flowers and cherry blossom trees everywhere, filling the air with a wonderful aroma.

There was the softest of breezes that caused the cherry blossoms to float down like snow. The sounds of a babbling brook somewhere in the distance could be heard. Damian found himself smiling. It didn't surprise him that this was what Thea's safe place was like. It was as beautiful as she was.

As he continued to walk down the path he heard the sounds of a flute. Turning down a gentle bend in the path, he came upon a man leaning on a nearby rock. As Damian approached him, he noticed that this man resembled some of the warriors Thea had told him about seeing in Glen's favorite Korean films and dramas.

Surely this had to be one of the guardians Celia warned him about. Speaking in Arcalean, Thea’s birth language, he said to the guardian, "Good day!"

The guardian stopped playing his flute and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "You speak the language of our mistress."

"I do. I’m her mate. I don't wish her any harm. Quite the opposite. I wish to see her though."

The guardian closed his eyes momentarily and as he opened them he replied, "It’s not safe for her. You cannot."

"I wish to gain her trust. What must I do?"

The guardian simply smiled and went back to playing his flute. Damian knew no further answers would come from him. Deciding to continue on the path, he walked on. After a little bit he once again came upon the same guardian, this time he wasn't alone. With him stood a young girl. As he approached them, she said to him brusquely in Arcalean, "What do you want?"

"To help your mistress, my Zoqa."

The young girl cocked her head at him thoughtfully, "Why?"

"Because I love her."

"Then why doesn't she know you?" With that the young girl raised her hand and sent him flying back into the clouds.

As Damian stood up and dusted himself off, he heard Celia's voice in his mind, "Are you ok?"

"Of course. Strong little thing. Any idea how to get past them?"

"I think the key is in helping her to remember you. Maybe talk to the guardians about something only you and Thea would know, something she cherished."

He nodded, thinking. He had to try again. He could feel the 'world' getting smaller. If he didn't succeed they would lose her before they could even attempt to return what was stolen.

Once again he entered the park. This time the air seemed a bit more ominous. Before he travelled too far, both guardians appeared before him. This time the warrior carried a sword and moved oddly, almost as if he were a snake-like creature. The little girl looked a great deal less sweet. "We told you that you were not welcome."

"If I truly care for Thea, how can I give up so easily?"

In response, the warrior turned into a dragon-like creature that growled and hissed at him. Then Damian realized he couldn’t move, vines had grown out of the ground and were wrapping themselves around his legs and body. It was then that he noticed a shadow that seemed to move around them. It had no form but left a chill on his soul when it touched him. It could only be what remained of Nihasia.

Damian knew it was now or never. His eyes never leaving the guardians, he stated loudly, "Theanna, my Zoqa, your garden reminds me of the secret garden within the maze, our cherished place where you became my mate, my beloved."

The features of the young girl softened ever-so-slightly. "Do you know Dnirya? She is looking for her Dnirya. Dnirya knows of the garden.”

"I do. I am Dnirya.”

The guardians looked at him skeptically. “You are too human,” the girl countered.

Turning into his Daemoni form, he asked, “And now?”

The warrior returned to his human form and demanded, “If you’re truly Dnirya, you will know about the one memory that the evil did not take from her. Your answer will be what only she knows as that is what we protect most."

Damian closed is eyes and thought carefully about his answer. He smiled softly as he remembered. Making sure to speak in Arcalean to protect this deepest of trusts, he answered, "My Zoqa only has one memory of her mother and father. It is a memory of feeling loved and cherished. In that memory, her mother held her as her father gave them each a kiss."

The two guardians smiled as they vanished as did the vines that were holding him. Behind them stood Thea. "Dnirya," she whispered shakily in Arcalean. "Your name... why can't I remember it?"

"Damian, my love, my name is Damian. You were hurt, Zoqa. The evil tried to steal your mind and soul." As he spoke, he could see the far edges of the 'world' breaking apart.

Thea closed her eyes as she held her head. "Why can't I stop it?"

Damian closed the gap between them and pulled Thea into his arms, holding her close, his wings wrapping around her protectively. "Let me help you. Use my strength, our love and our bond."

Thea looked up at him, tears in her eyes as she said softly, "My Dnirya."

Damian smiled as he watched as the world around them changed. No longer breaking apart, it seemed quiet and serene.