Part 4

While the journey to the lake was uneventful, when Cricket and Emma arrived at the lake 2 days later, in the early morning, Cricket could immediately tell something was off about the lake.

“Do you feel that, Emma?” Cricket asked, doing up his coat. “The strangeness in the air?”

“Yeah, it’s summer and yet I’m freezing. The winds in the forest completely stilled when we got near the lake. What in the hells is going on?” Emma responded, making sure the ring Cricket gave her was still on. “I’ve got a really bad feeling about this.”

“Emma, stay still for a moment.” Cricket closed his eyes and concentrated for several seconds, before he suddenly opened his eyes and turned to Emma. “The liminal barrier Emma... it’s gone.”

“How can it be gone?” Emma demanded.

It was at this moment over a thousand kilometres away that Vordea was unshackled and shattered the liminal barrier as she entered the mortal world for the first time since the dawn. The various spirits in and around the lake began to scream in abject terror as the gargantuan shadow of the Goddess of Chaos was cast upon the world. Cricket dropped and Emma barely caught him as he felt the aftereffects of Vordea’s entry into the world, before the liminal barrier began to reform itself.

“Cricket!” Emma shouted. “Are you okay?”

“I... think so.” Cricket glanced over toward the lake and saw a rusalka shivering on the shore, holding her knees and rocking back and forth. Cricket motioned for Emma to bring him nearer.

“Hoy, do you understand me?” Cricket called out to the rusalka. It looked up at him with eyes full of fear, but did not respond. “You speak elvish?” Cricket called out in Elvish. It slowly nodded its head. “Emma, she understands elvish, wait here.”

Cricket walked on the ground until he was close to, but just out of arm’s reach of the rusalka. It was still rocking back and forth and muttering under its breath. “Do you know what happened?” Cricket asked in Elvish.

“She came. She came. She has come. She is here.” the rusalka whispered. “All is lost, she is here.”

“Who has come?”

“The Destroyer.”

Recognizing the old Elven name for Vordea, Cricket was visibly uncomfortable. “You’re sure, rusalki?” he asked. It nodded back at him. “Go somewhere far away. Stay away from human lands. Do this for me.”

Emma watched as the rusalka slowly stood up. It was wearing a white dress, and its long tangle of black hair seemed to straighten out as it stood up. Its piercing blue eyes were looking straight at Cricket, and it whispered something before leaving for the trees, seemingly gliding along the ground.

“Cricket, what did she say?” Emma asked.

“What we just felt was something truly awful. It was just a coincidence that we arrived when it happened. The rusalka told me Vordea has come. The Goddess of Change herself is in the mortal world in all her power.” Cricket said, a haunting look in his eyes. “We might all be doomed.”

“Grandfather’s artifact.” Emma suddenly said to Cricket. “The chain!”

“Oh no. We have to get back right away, come on!”