Airin got to the room where Elisthia and Lyanna were. Elisthia kneeled and her face was more pale than earlier with sweat trickling down her cheek and forehead. Her hair was a mess and wet from sweat too, and her breath was labored.

While Lyanna had awakened and now just stood in the middle of the room, frozen in fear.

"Airin!" Lyanna ran to her and hugged her tight. She hugged the little girl back, and she saw outside Xander stood at the edge of the grass clearing flanked by the soldiers loyal to him.

"Lyanna, please wait here," she whispered, but Lyanna refused and followed her as she walked outside. She stood a few steps from the door and she could see what was happening.

It was a cold night, but she was sweating from her nervousness and fear. Cold droplets of sweat made her shiver, but she stood quietly, her right arm embraced Lyanna, while her left hand instinctively shielded the girl's head just in case there was a sudden attack coming.

Then she saw at the edge of the forest, across from the grass clearing: Nydda. The sorceress wore all-grey white dress with shiny gold belt that was reflecting the half moonlight. Her long hair was loose, falling on both sides of her face, and she stood rigid like a wooden doll. Rovan was by her side—the king did nothing, he just seemed to stare ahead expressionless.

"I have come to offer you peace, Xander. My dear Xander. Won't you listen to this old sorceress? I, Nydda, who have stood by the House of Metiocles in all seasons?" it was strange how the voice of Nydda sounded so clear and crisp as if she stood right in front of Airin on this side of the grass clearing.

"You are Leidra. I know who you are so do not try to taint Nydda's memory with your evil doings," Xander sounded calm and assertive. He was disdainful of Leidra, that much was obvious though he was not one to get easily flattered and threatened.

Leidra sneered—that made the hairs stand up on Airin's neck. "Elisthia! That little, useless, broken lap dog has told you all! Fine. I come to offer you this, Lord Xander. Let me have Elisthia and Lyanna. Then I will spare your life, and the life of that girl from another universe!"

"No. Lyanna and Elisthia stay with me. You cannot use them to get the sword of Zeus from Rovan. I know your evil plans. You, Leidra, you should go back to the pit of hell where you are from."

"I warn you, Xander. Myrana's forces have surrounded Halgard. We can destroy you like a herd of elephants squashing ants. Your forces have fallen to my influence. As you can see, your dear brother King Rovan is ... well ... sick."

"I promise you this, Leidra. Halgard will not fall as long as I still draw breath!"

Leidra snickered. Suddenly her right hand appeared to touch the back of King Rovan's neck, and the king let out a loud cry of pain. His body convulsed as he screamed in pain.

"Father!" Lyanna shouted in between her sobs upon seeing what was happening to her father.

"Lyanna, sweet Lyanna. Look what happen to your Father! Come save him!" Leidra's voice was gentle but it could be heard all the way across the grass clearing.

Airin tightened her grab of Lyanna.

Leidra now grabbed the back of Rovan's neck, and the king screamed even louder, and his soldiers behind him just stood with no reaction whatsoever. They all looked expressionless. Rovan fell in kneeling position while still screaming in pain.

"Father!" Lyanna shouted and with one push she managed to escape from Airin, who did not expect that to happen. "Lyanna!" Airin chased her, but Leidra extended her hand and that seemed to pull Lyanna faster to get closer to her.

Lyanna ran so fast it would look like she was pulled to Rovan by Leidra. Xander chased the little girl.

"Father!" Lyanna kept shouting.

It was then Elisthia ran out of the house and extended her arms wide and roared in anger. Upon hearing the roar from Elisthia, Rovan's convulsion stopped and he saw his daughter. "Lyanna! Do not come!" he shouted in full alarm, and seeing his daughter running toward him and Leidra helped him snap back to his own mind. The king stood up and turned to see Leidra and with one punch, punched the evil queen who was still in the shape of Nydda.

Leidra shrieked in shock and lost her balance. The evil queen shook in rage. Rovan dashed away from her, meanwhile the roar of Elisthia stopped. The roar seemed to be her final attempt in her sorcery to release of Rovan's mind from Leidra's dark influence and it worked. Xander caught up with Lyanna in the middle of the grass clearing and scooped the girl up.

Airin recovered from her own shock and ran to Elisthia whom by now had fallen on the ground with blood flowing from her mouth. Her breath was heavy and she gasped for it. "Elisthia!" Airin clasped the young sorceress' hand and shook it gently.

"Airin, I did it. I did. Nydda, the real one, would be so proud of me," she whispered and gasped for air. Her eyes shone with pride, she coughed up blood. Airin helped her to sit up.

Rovan got there, and so did Xander with Lyanna in his arms.

Rovan was pale and he trembled when Lyanna came and hugged him. It was obvious that Rovan had been wounded from the time when his mind was a prisoner in Leidra's dark sorcery, with only messages by telepathy from Elisthia that kept some of his humanity intact.

"The sword of Zeus is safe within me," Rovan gasped as he spoke to his brother, Xander. "I am so sorry," he whispered with a cracked voice.

"None of what has happened is your fault," Xander patted the shoulder of his brother. "Bring Lyanna and Elisthia inside the palace, Rovan," Xander said, his eyes watched Leidra whom by now had changed back to her original form.

Rovan nodded, he staggered to help Elisthia, but suddenly he turned around, faced Xander, and his mouth moved to recite a spell in a whisper. His body trembled and a bright white light shot out of his body, and landed on his outstretched hands.

The sword of Zeus. The sword was shiny, silver, with white halo around it, and the hilt was made of gold with carvings of thunder all around it.

Rovan grabbed Xander's hand. "Take this, Xander, my brother. I am badly wounded, and I have never felt right in having the sword. It is yours. You are the true king of Halgard!" he extended the sword to Xander with shaky hand. Xander was stunned.

Suddenly Leidra roared like thunder and the wind blew hard. "Take it, Xander! I cannot lead Halgard while being wounded like this! It is and has always been yours!" Rovan shouted and blood droplets flowed out of his mouth again. Xander was awakened from his stun and grabbed the sword.

"Go, Rovan! Go inside! Take Lyanna, Elisthia, and Airin!" Xander watched Leidra in full focus and alarm. The dark queen was now raging upon seeing the sword had exchanged hands.

"I stay here," Airin was surprised at how calm she sounded. She had made up her mind.

Rovan turned and helped Elisthia. The two limped into the half-burned palace and Lyanna followed close behind after giving Airin a hug.

"Airin ..." Xander was worried about her decision to stay out there.

"I stay. Those are my kids across the elegarii well on the other side. My kids, those little ones ... my students. I will fight for them." Airin planted her heels in the damp ground. She would not back away. "I love my kids, Xander. I won't let them be the victims of Ares controlling the elegarii here!"

Airin hid her fear as best as she could, even though it bled out as trembling hands and knees and breaking voice. "Just tell ... tell me what to do," she nodded for an extra assurance to Xander. "Please."

Why do I do this? Is it really only for the kids? Is it also because I really don't want to lose Xander? What can I do in a battle for God's sake? Does this mean I actually really like Xander? Love him, maybe? Enough to stand at the battlefront with him? And not hiding somewhere? Those questions ran in her mind uncontrollably. She could find no satisfying answer.

Xander sighed, but before he could say anything, Leidra howled and lifted up her arms. She had now turned to her original form, the dark queen of Myrana. A beautiful young woman with wavy, long, blond hair. She had a voluptuous figure clothed in almost see-through dark red long, tight dress that left little to imagination.

"You choose the difficult way, don't you, Lord Xander? My handsome, formidable warrior. Whatever that is about to happen is on you. Your fault. It is all your fault, Xander." Leidra snickered. "I was in Nydda's form, I took Nydda's memories and knowledge. I know ... who your real father is. You are a demigod. What a beautiful surprise!"

Xander did not say anything in return.

Leidra walked in slow steps like a lioness who had found her prey. "You love that girl, don't you, Xander? Airin ..."

Airin choked on her own breath when she heard it.

"She is the one. Your heart has decided that. She is the one to whom you want to surrender yourself, your heart, your body, your whole entire being."

"To whom I surrender my heart is none of your business, Leidra," Xander sounded calm, while Airin struggled to just stand straight a few steps behind Xander.

"Oh. It is. She will be the first to die when Myrana conquers Halgard. But now I will make her watch ... this ..." Leidra extended her arms, looked up to the sky, and the sky turned even darker.

And Airin could hear it. At first she thought it was the sound of the wind. But as she listened more carefully, it was definitely something else.

Cries. Screams. Terror. From above, from the sky far away.

She saw little black dots on the sky, and she held her breath as the dots became larger as they flew closer.

Winged snakes. Those wretched pets of Ares were snakes with wings. Their hiss was loud and heart shattering. The whole sky was filled with the sound of the hisses.

But the wings on the snake and the hisses were not the ones that shocked her most. She shook her head and started mouthing No many times when she saw what each of those winged snakes carried on its tail end.