Juniper’s Daughter: War Is Obsolete – Futility and Hope By Nick Armbrister

Juniper’s Daughter: War Is Obsolete – Futility and Hope
By Nick Armbrister
A collection of dark/light poetry/narratives and stories.
A follow up to my Juniper’s Daughter series.

Six hundred and sixty six days later after their pact, Anna ran through the forest trying to escape the ice dragon that had butchered her husband Lee and would soon swoop down upon her and bring her the same fate. Anna screamed and dodged an icy blast of super cold air and ice daggers that thundered into a huge tree, missing her by a metre. Next time the soaring beast wouldn’t miss. The tree line thinned out and a clearing opened out before the fleeing girl. The treetops gave good cover, why she was still alive. Now she was screwed and with nowhere to hide. The circling ice dragon would kill her at will. She accepted this and walked out into the clearing. Fuck it! Soon I’ll be with Lee and happy once again! If only I was still a witch, I could kill that dragon, sent by Satan, and bring Lee back to life. But I made a pact with the Devil and he gave us 666 days of happiness and then murdered my husband! At least we had that time together! Anna desperately thought. Walking out of the trees Anna became a clear target for the circling ice dragon, which swooped down upon her at two hundred miles per hour, its wings beating like a huge drum. Not long now…

Something happened. The ice dragon never opened fire upon Anna. It crashed into the earth in a huge bang that shook the ground, sending up grass, bushes, earth and bits of ice dragon into the air. Anna ducked while debris rained down all around her. What the hell? Have my magical power come back now Lee’s gone?

A voice came to her, crystal clear, one she had heard throughout forever and thought she wouldn’t ever hear again: “Anna, my dear Anna how are you? I’ve missed you so much. I’m here my dear!” Juniper, Anna’s mother, announced stepping from out of the trees.

“Oh Mother, I’m so sorry for my betrayal of you and of my path. Please forgive me! Don’t kill me! Please don’t kill me!” cried Anna, breaking down to sob. She slowly walked over to her Mother and fell into her arms. In the middle of the clearing the ice dragon slowly melted away to nothing. Down in Hell the Devil screamed in rage, he would have his revenge! At least his former slave Lee was dead.

“I forgive you my dear. And I would never harm you. I’m here to help you. I didn’t like your actions but you did it for love and that is the righteous path. What you gave up, your magical powers and your immortality, was a very humbling act of true unconditional love. For that I respect you. Myself, I could never be that strong,” consoled her Mother.

“Thank you for forgiving me and not killing me. That ice dragon was sent by the Devil and killed my husband, I tried to help him. I was so powerless,” sobbed the girl.

“Against an evil monster like that, even I’d have my hands full. I wouldn’t kill you, not out of revenge for your pact with the Devil before. Now tell me one thing. Do you want to be with your husband Lee? Do you?” asked Juniper to her daughter.

“You know the answer, yes I want to be with him,” replied Anna. She knew what was coming.

“Okay then, do you want me to make it so? I will send you to our spirit realm up above so you can be with your dear husband in spirit. Myself, I will take over here on earth and fight the Devil and his evil. Just say yes and I’ll send you painlessly over to the other side to be with your Lee,” Juniper offered, her deep green eyes showing compassion and love and something else, a determination to see the fight through. Her daughter never had this determination, though she was strong and very skilled, even now as a mortal.

“Yes,” replied Anna. Juniper raised her hands and placed them on her daughter’s head. A blinding white light rose and blotted everything else out. Anna felt a huge rush and then nothing. Time ticked slowly by, it could have been a minute or a million years. When she opened her eyes Lee was before her, his spirit glowing white, true unconditional love emanated from him. Now Anna and Lee were finally together forever, as spirits…