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Celina Saga

Valentine Sisters' Journey

By Rob C. JohnsonPublished 3 years ago Updated 3 years ago 7 min read
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Precius held a worried look on her face. The clouds above her darkened. A bad omen drenched the skies. She could feel it. The princess of Celina rode to the thunderclaps of her horse', her younger sibling, Sybil Valentine wore a bandana atop her long, black hair like a gypsy. Her eyes reminiscent to what the sky once was when it was filled with radiance, now the sun had forsaken the Earth that once needed it. Her bosom covered with her thinly blue skirt and black leggings that led to her brown, buckled boots. She kept her arms wrapped around Precius' waist as she could feel the up and down rhythmic thump of the horse's motions. Corinne, Precius twin sister, kept pace beside them. They were ripping through a thicket to seek help--Sybil was infected. She mainly spoke slowly, but would feel as if the world weighed heavily upon her mind, causing it to wander. Sometimes, the thoughts were malicious. And even then, she only let out short groans, to which, Precius soon took notice.

"Just a bit closer to town. Sybil? Sybil. Do you hear me? Do not let go of me." Precius gave her younger sister the tone of a soldier. One that gave strength to a dying comrade on the battlefield.

Riding beside them, Corinne Valentine, twin sister of Precius, struggled at times to keep pace. Her hair flew behind her.

"Oh 'kay." She spoke slowly, her once cheery tone slowed to a hoarse drawl.

The darkness seemed to have its grasp on its prey. The Princess of Celina tried to calm herself down. Her heart raced along with her across the barren landscape. Nothing seemed for miles other than the lush forest surrounding them, but she kept the hope alive and encouragement for Sybil. She kept telling her that the curse wouldn't last, she just had to hold on so that it wouldn't take her over. The silence behind her worried her so; every time Sybil became silent, she'd interrupt the silence with: "Sybil. Sybil! Stay here. Do not, for as long as I draw breath, give into evil! I will never forgive you if you allow evil to prevail! Do you hear me?"

"Yes. I-I hear you, Precius. I'm-- I'm sorry. I won't let it happen."

"That's what I want to hear. Now, use your power to hold off that demon!"

By the sound of the drowsiness in her voice, she could tell Sybil was putting up a fight. It hadn't tainted her mind yet, but she knew it was bound to. The thunderclap of hooves picked up in rapid succession. Dust particles and the wind smacked Precius in the face, but it didn't stop her from making it to the nearest town. Not even the hand of God and the cogs of fate would stop her from finding help. Sybil's arms stayed fastened around her waist, another sign that she was still fighting with the darkness. Just when it seemed like all hope was lost, Corinne called out: "Town up ahead!"

Precius spotted what her twin sister did. The castle looked faded in the trees: an oil canvas shrouded in beauty, the forest, its backdrop of different beautiful shades of green. What was this place? Precius wondered.

"What is that ahead?" Corinne asked.

"I don't know, but maybe someone there can help Sybil." Precius started towards the faded castle. The vines surrounding it were buzzards feeding on a rotten corpse. They didn't command their horses, they knew to stop. "They" excluded Precius, in which Corinne had to stop her. Not even the scent of fresh foliage stop Corinne from keeping on her toes. She immediately felt uneasy. She knew how Precius was as she's kept that in mind. Instinctively, her hand shot out and gripped Precius by the arm.

"Are you sure?"

"What? What do I have to be sure about?" Precius asked.

"Listen. Silence. If someone were to greet us, they'd be in the greeting mood." Corinne said.

Precius seemed to take heed of her warning. The moisture of foliage filled her nose as this area was filled with it. Wildlife scampered across the grassy lands with rustling sounds. It seemed to be the only life in the forest.

Precius checked on Sybil.

"Corinne, how is she looking?"

She gave Sybil the once over.

"Hey. Sybil. Open your eyes." Corinne sounded like Precius with her command.

She pulled on of her scrolls and placed it on her back.

"What did you do?" Precius asked her twin.

"Bought us some time."

"So, you could've done that earlier?" Precius asked.

"I didn't think my powers were strong enough against the dark energy. I'm still a novice with these scrolls. So, please don't jump on my back." Corinne spoke dismissively.

"I wasn't going to 'jump on your back.' That just didn't make sense to me, that's all."

"Precius, just drop it. We're here for Sybil."

"I know."

They rode with caution at first, calling for any sign of a human being.

"Hello? We come in the name of the Celina Kingdom. We have an ailing family member who needs immediate attention." Corinne shouted.

"Hello?" Precius called, her voice echoing throughout. They trotted their horses near the white, decrepit structure, which appeared to be a church.

"Corinne! Look!" Precius said.

She spotted it and moved closer to get a better look.

"A sanctuary? What guidance the goddess painted for us. She led us here. Even the goddess is trying to help Sybil. Let's go and see if anyone's inside."

They rode past many scampering Chiku as the furry creatures avoided the horse's hooves. They moved over towards the perimeter. Sybil, silently fighting the darkness within, along with the help of her sister's scroll, spotted something peek out from amongst the bushes. She thought it might've been a face, but it moved so fast from sight, she couldn't tell. She groaned, but was still able to talk.

"Precius. Corinne..."

"Don't speak. Save your strength. We're almost there." Precius said with comfort, but it was cut short.

She felt the sharp jerk of her horse as Sybil and Precius were thrown off. Even Corinne lost control of her steed, but managed to keep her's under control. She screamed as she called out for them. Epona fell on her side as Sybil and Precius landed hard on the Earth with groans of pain. She quickly stood upright, not abandoning her rider. Corinne's horse galloped in circles as she tried to calm the rattled horse. What just caused that? What was it that brought Precius' horse into such a frenzy? Corinne drew one of her scrolls and searched the area. Not a person in sight, but she saw what it was. A vine wrapped around Epona's leg. Corinne immediately knew someone was setting traps.

Precius stood to her feet, helping Sybil up as well. They weren't ready for the next, although they stood on their guard. A few men and women stood, surrounding them. At least eight of them, four in front and behind them, had weapons drawn and ready. Precius didn't waste time drawing her blade. These people had brown skin, one of the men wore a hood and tunic with black pants with brown boots. One of the women was a girl. A small girl stepped out with puffy rounded pigtails. Her outfit was all white: A short, white blouse with bunched up shorts and straw sandals. She held two rings in her hands, while some dangled on her side. She had an innocent look on her face. Corinne kept her guard, the scroll was ready for use.

"I have to give you credit. Never have I thought anyone would encroach on sacred grounds." The man spoke, his voice a deep, groveling tone, "Especially those of such beauty. Are you ladies lost? You must've fell into one of my sister's traps."

"Who the hell are you?" Precius growled.

One of the women rubbed on his chest, a black cloak covered her head as well. She almost wore the same corset armor that Precius wore-- the only difference was Precius' was a dark blue and the woman's was all black.

"We're those that were cast out of our holy land. We intend to take it back. Outsiders are not allowed, if you knew the history between us and Celina, you'd understand." She said in a serene manner.

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About the Creator

Rob C. Johnson

I began writing at an early age and continued well into my adult years. I'm known for telling stories weighing on my mind--mostly fiction--and enjoy the likes of fantasy and crime.

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