“People of Zarzura.” Rowida stood next to the Grand Wizard beneath the walls of the white city. “This is my final warning.” She looked at the Grand Wizard as if for confirmation. “You have one week to bring me a green man or a green woman, a willing sacrifice on behalf of the whole city.” “If you want the green aura nation to be spared the wrath of the Grand Wizard and me, you will do as I demanded.”
She again looked at the Grand Wizard. “For by the end of the week, we shall unleash the most powerful Arcanos in existence, The Peace Granter, and every soul in your city will perish.”
She pushed her arm high for all to see something that seemed to cast shadows without light on her and on the man standing beside her. “Heed my warning well, Zarzura.”
Then she walked back with fast steps to her tent, soon to be followed by the Grand Wizard.
“I hope we don’t have to do this.” She turned to face him. “I don’t want to be the killer of thousands of souls to prove a point.”
“It is against human nature.” the Grand Wizard pulled a chair and sat. “One of them will do it, it has to happen, and if nobody does it, we smuggle out a green man or woman and then use the Arcanos.”
“I really hope it doesn’t get to that.” She rubbed her eyes and then dropped her hand limply at her side. “It would be a terrible waste.”
“Because they were your people?” hHe asked her with a bemused expression on his face.
“No, it has nothing to do with that.” She sighed. “It will cause a great imbalance in the forces of this world, and permanently affect nature.”
“I am sorry, my love.” He shrugged. “But when you walk the path of war, you have to accept to do just that.”
“Acceptance is different from actually doing it.” She sat hard, facing him.
“Acceptance is the first step in doing a thing.” He waved a hand in the air. “The rest is just a path that has to be walked to connect the beginning to the end.”
“I understand that.” She grabbed the decanter from the center of the table and poured each of them a glass of chilled wine. “But the road from acceptance to the deed should be longer, and should offer forks to change the deed, or at least offer an alternative.”
“It usually does.” He bowed his head as he took the glass of wine, sipped a bit, then said, “This is why I have high hopes that one shall come forward to offer himself or herself.”
She nodded and took a long sip from her glass, then fell back in her chair, deep in thought.
War In Agartha
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