by Salem Cross
While it didn’t affect us, around us the wildlife suddenly awoke. Sleeping birds took to the sky, and a herd of deer stampeded nearby. Some fought each other while others ran in confusion. They didn’t seem to notice our presence, lost in the madness the toxin caused. In the distance, a wolf howled, followed by a handful of answering howls. Were those normal wolves, or were those the howls of werewolves? With my enhanced hearing, they sounded closer than they probably were. That didn’t make it any less scary, knowing that monsters were lurking nearby. I clenched my jaw harder, trying not to make a sound. I could hear yelps and snarls, more howling, and then sudden silence. The other Guardians in the woods must have taken care of the threat.
Beneath our feet, the ground began to rumble. In front of us, I watched as the snow that coated the tip of Elliot’s Peak began to fall away from the mountainside. Rock moved and broke away with the snow, causing mini-avalanches. A whole section along the side of the mountain began to move. Someone close to me gasped as we all watched a massive door that had been made to look like part of the mountain slide slowly open.
We need to move faster, Rylan snapped. I picked up the pace, and the others adjusted their speed.
Something dark, possibly smoke, began to billow out of the enormous opening on the mountain. It rose high into the night sky in an oddly cyclone-like manner before disappearing into the clouds. I couldn’t make out what it was but the others could. I could feel them communicating with each other. The buzzing was loud and intense for a short burst before everyone fell silent again.
Gargoyles are circling above. Keep moving forward, we will keep an eye out for them as they search for us, Rylan explained before I could ask.
I watched the sky as I continued to run. Following the cyclone of gargoyles, the second group of Guardians, led by Jasmine shot upwards into the sky from the other side of the mountain to chase after the threat.
My heart pounded louder now. Somewhere gargoyles loomed over us, and the thought of not knowing exactly where they were was terrifying. Ahead of us, coming from that same opening in the mountain, a large metal contraption began to emerge. As the metal machine cleared the entryway, I realized it was a massive, metal ring. In the middle was a blue orb that looked suspiciously like the power that had been trapped in the destroyed lab.
Shit, Rylan, he’s going to try to open the gates now! I realized as my heart sank.
Keep moving, he commanded.
The quick, short buzz in my head warned me something was wrong. Something whizzed above our heads and hit a nearby tree.
Fae! Rylan roared. Arrows were flying all over the place. In front of me, Arthur’s wings lifted upwards and spread out on either side of him as he used himself as a shield to protect me. There were shouts and cries as a battle nearby broke out. Screams of agony and anger littered the night. Fires began to break out all around us as the Fae set their arrows on fire. My heart raced as smoke filled my lungs.
We were getting closer to the mountain, but we were still too far for me to do any damage. The blue orb floating in the middle of the metal ring began to grow bigger and brighter. The clouds above the mountain began to darken, and thunder rolled. I forced myself to move faster. We couldn’t let Ekon start that thing up.
Above us, a shriek caught my attention. I looked up in time to see a massive boulder falling from the sky. It was Diane who yanked me out of the way just in time. The rock smashed into the earth where I had been just moments ago. She placed me on my feet, and we were running again. Guardians in the trees around us shot upwards to attack the gargoyles that had found us. There had to be hundreds of gargoyles overhead, but the Guardians who took to the sky didn’t seem phased. There wasn’t time to stop and watch the spectacle overhead, so I pushed on.
Flaming arrows stopped zipping past us so frequently. I sent up thanks to whoever was listening that there was a group of Guardians ahead of us taking care of the dangers, allowing us to focus on our task. Arthur lowered his wings just as he jumped over the first body. I leapt over it and tried to ignore the blank face staring up at me. The copper scent of blood lingered in the air as we ran. Bodies littered the ground, and it was hard not to notice the faces twisted in pain, the groans of the dying, and the nasty wounds the Guardians in front of us inflicted on the Fae warriors.
On the mountain, the blue orb had grown to the width of the metal ring. I watched in dismay as the ring began to tilt upwards to face the sky. The clouds began to part over the mountain. There was nothing but stars, for now. If we didn’t hurry, that was where the gates would open.
The ground under us rumbled, and whitish gray things began to sprout up around our feet as we moved. Upon closer inspection, I realized the things erupting from the ground were rotting hands. Someone had mentioned that the bodies used in sacrifices could come back as an army. Well, the undead had arrived.
Images of the time I had been in the Pocket flooded my consciousness. Those rotting hands had been there too, reaching from out of the darkness to pull me in. Mentally, I screamed in fear. I couldn’t let those things catch me. My body trembled, not from fatigue, but terror. I knew what those fingers would feel like if they touched me.
As the undead rose from the ground, the Guardians who had been spread out all around us in the forest began to close the distance to take care of the immediate threat. Moans and sickly gulps for air began to fill the silence around us. Another round of arrows from our right took us by surprise, and Zara and Samson moved to block the attack.
Ekon knows where I am now, doesn’t he? I asked Rylan as he grabbed me to pull me out of the way from the pieces of gargoyle that were falling from the sky. He placed me on my feet before slicing through four undead creatures that came at us from the left.
Yes. It was his only response.
The undead filled up the woods quickly, moving at a speed I would have thought impossible for something that had little to no muscle or tendons. My protective circle of Guardians stayed close while the others took care of the problem. It was a relief to see that once a warrior was able to slay an undead creature, it seemed to stay down.
A loud humming noise boomed over Jasper National Park before the blue light spinning in the middle of the metal ring shot upwards into the sky. I shrieked in horror as the stars disappeared, and a colorful, iridescent light show appeared in the sky. The light faded just enough for us to see massive steel rods spaced evenly all in a row. Fingers that belonged to giants and claws and talons that belonged to animals were wrapped around the rods, yanking the metal as if to pry it open.
There it was: the gates between the realms had come to life, and the gods were trying to return. The blue light emanating from the metal ring began to pulse, and each time it did so, the steel rods seemed to shutter and bend under the pressure. The gates weren’t open yet, but they were about to be if I didn’t act fast. We were almost to our destination. Just another mile or so, and I was sure I could destroy the mountain and the machine. But we had to get there now. I was slowing everyone down.
Rylan, fly me the rest of the way! I demanded. We don’t have time to waste running on foot.
No, you would be an easier target in the sky, Rylan objected just as another round of arrows came flying towards us. He opened his wings, and I heard arrows hit him. He didn’t swear or cry out in pain as he was hit multiple times. I could feel his pain through our connection. Each time an arrow hit him, I jerked under the sudden pain. The arrows ceased as screams and the sounds of battle erupted from behind me.
“Rylan!” I screamed.
Rylan’s wings came down, and he was running beside me once more. He yanked three arrows from his gut, one from his chest, and one that had nestled just above the collar bone.
I am fine. Move, he growled.
“Your father will be so disappointed in you, young one,” Ekon’s voice twisted through the woods again, sounding closer than before. “Maybe you will be lucky enough to see the disappointment in his eyes before the others turn you and your w
orld to ash.”
The gates in the sky groaned under the assault of the power that Ekon had collected over the years. I could see the gates bending under the pressure. Fear began to choke me; time was running out. Around us, trees began to bend and twist on their own. The crackling of wood and the groan of a tree trunk twisting and turning began to override the sounds of Guardians battling the continual uprising of undead warriors, Fae archers, and gargoyles. Under our feet, the ground rumbled harder as a new threat rose from beneath us.
Thick tree roots twisted upwards, trying to grab us as we ran. Branches came swooping down to pick us up. Trees were breaking apart to fall on top of us while bushes began to shoot out thorns. A vine caught my ankle, and I went down, hard. Around me, my protection detail began getting caught in the madness. Roots came up and wrapped themselves around Arthur while a tree branch yanked Rylan away from my side. Gabriel was able to cut the vine off my ankle before a handful of vines grabbed him.
“I can burn the forest down,” I shouted. “If everyone—,”
“No! Conserve your energy,” Diane shouted as she pushed me out of the way of an undead monster that reached for me. She sliced through it before a tree came toppling down on top of her. To my surprise, she caught it and tossed it away from her into a cluster of the undead.
Samson grabbed my hand to help steady me as I ran, but a large tree branch swung low and hit him in the ribs, knocking him away from me. Before I could make it a few more steps I was caught around the neck by a root and yanked backwards. I landed on my back with a huff. I tried to pull it away, but it only wrapped around me tighter, cutting off my air. Arthur’s flail came down on the vine, and he yanked me to my feet.
“Run, Mae, we’re out of time. Run!” he bellowed as he grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the mountain.
Rylan appeared beside me moments later. He took my other hand, and we sprinted towards the mountain. Zara’s voice shouted out a warning. Rylan grabbed me, and simultaneously we did a flip backward as a huge tree root swiped at our feet. I was right side up and running again in less time than it took to gasp in surprise.
After what seemed like an eternity of running, the woods that had come alive in a murderous fashion thinned. Once we broke free from the trees altogether, we ran onto the shoreline of a small river that stood between us and Elliott’s Peak. Behind us, I could still hear nature’s attempts at murdering the other Guardians, the moans from the undead, and arrows being shot from Fae bows. Above us, more Guardians had joined the fight against the gargoyles, and the enemy was slowly thinning out.
In front of me, Elliot’s Peak towered over us. The mountain range was stunning and would have been such a serene sight… if it weren’t for the doomsday device sticking out of it.
“This is it, Mae. This is the spot. Bring down the mountain!” Rylan yelled as he and Arthur whirled around to face whatever was behind me.
A blast of energy shoved me forward. I fell to my knees. While every instinct told me to turn around and look to see who had attacked us, I pushed through it to focus on my task at hand. I got to my feet and threw my hands up while calling on my power. The sheer strength of throwing all my might into the blast almost knocked me backward. I gritted my teeth and dug my heels into the stony riverbank. The mountain shook. Large avalanches began sliding down the mountain’s slopes. I did not let up on my attack. I pushed my power forward, and violet energy continued to shoot out from my hands and pummel the mountain.
Noise and lights flashed around me. Sounds of metal and battle seemed to be drawing closer. I could have sworn I was hearing chanting, but I didn’t turn around to see what my Guardians were facing off with. They were counting on me to do this.
As my power began to eat away at the base of the mountain, I took a deep breath and summoned my lightning. Above us, large bolts of violet lightning began to erupt from Elliott’s Peak. They blew chunks of rock off the mountain. The snow was swept upwards and melted. Large chunks of the mountain began to crumble down. Beneath my feet, the ground began to shake as Elliott’s Peak began to fall apart.
I threw more weight behind the power blasting through my hands as lightning continued to destroy the mountain from above. There had to be something else I could do to stop that blue beam from opening the gates. With all the power coursing through me, I struggled to lift my head enough to stare at the metal ring that controlled the power Ekon had stolen. With all the concentration that I could muster, without completely stopping my attack against the mountain, I stared at the machine. It was so high I wasn’t sure if it was possible, but…
A thick, violet bolt erupted upwards into the sky directly from where the machine was housed. The blue light beaming up into the sky flickered out. The iron gates in the sky vanished, leaving behind only stars and clouds. What was left of the metal contraption swayed before toppling into Ekon’s lair hidden within the mountain. A massive mushroom cloud of fire and smoke erupted from the opening. Another explosion from far overhead was the sound of victory.
“No!” Ekon’s voice screamed into the night. “No!”
With all the strength I could muster, I fell to my knees and slammed my fists into the ground. The world around me flew upwards as my power rushed into the riverbank and rippled towards the mountain. Elliot’s Peak gave a loud groan before it began to crumble. The top crumbled inward first. The rest of the mountain followed suit, caving in on itself and sealing whatever Ekon had inside away forever.
I pulled back on my power while I panted. My heart was racing, and my body was trembling with fatigue and adrenaline. Despite the cold night, I was sweating profusely. The sound of battle behind me forced me to my feet. I stole a quick glance at the mountain as it crumbled before I turned my attention to the chaos behind me. Arthur and Rylan were fighting off a handful of undead soldiers nearby. Samson and Diane were spread out on my other side, using their wings to block incoming burning arrows as they headed for me.
“You did amazing, Mae! Now, let me get you out of here,” Jasmine said grinning, as she landed in a crouch next to me. She threw her arms around me and kissed the top of my head. “Here’s to beaches and mimos—”
“Jazz!” Rylan’s voice shouted from behind us.
Jasmine let go of me to whirl around to face the approaching threat. The moment she turned to meet her opponent Jasmine was struck in the chest with a red stone attached to a long stick. The surprise on her face turned to agony just before her body appeared to crack like glass. A strange glow peaked out from the lines that were forming all over her body. Before I could do anything, Jasmine’s body shattered into hundreds of pieces and fell to the ground at my feet.
My scream of anguish was lost in the sound of battle around me. My heart shattered right along with Jasmine’s body. Jasmine. My friend. My family… She was gone. I turned to look at the hooded figure who had killed one of the only people in this world that had cared about me. I realized that the stick in this person’s hands was a staff. I had seen enough movies to understand that I was staring at a wizard. Before I could react, the hooded mage jerked forward before falling to the ground dead. Three daggers were lodged into the wizard’s back. I looked up to see Nikolas just a few feet away, running towards me.
“We need to get you out of here!” he yelled over the sounds of battle around us.
I looked around and noted that there were now a handful of witches and wizards who had joined the fight. It looked like most spells were bouncing harmlessly off the Guardians when they used their wings to protect them. But Jasmine… She had turned directly into the attack. My heart twisted in agony.
“You are not going anywhere,” Ekon’s voice hissed.
I twisted around to find the Guardian standing just a few feet away from me.
The first time I had seen Ekon, it had been in the dark dungeon within his other lair. His face had been clouded in shadow. Now that I could see him, I knew I would never be able to unsee him. His skin was pulled so tightly across his face that it was as if I
was staring at a skeleton. While the other Guardians had sunken eyes in their Guardian form, Ekon’s eyes were bulging from his face. The familiar red irises were replaced by a blackness so deep that my soul quivered in alarm. He was dressed in a simple brown cloak, similar to what a monk would wear. Behind him were four sets of Guardian wings protruding from his back. They appeared bent and broken, wilted, and dull. The stench of death that wafted over me wasn’t from the battle; it was from him.
“Did you think it would be that easy to stop me? I have enough stolen power running through my veins that I can still open the gates. Dabbling in the dark arts has made me stronger than all of you. All I need to do is kill you first,” he hissed taking a step towards me. Rylan landed between us, his sword drawn and ready. “Ah… a mated pair. How perfect. I do not have to kill her. I can just kill you.”
Nikolas came to stand beside Rylan while Samson, Gabriel, Devon, Ashe, and Zara came to stand beside me. From where I stood, I could see the blackness in his eyes begin to swirl. Even before my mind processed that Ekon was about to attack, my power was already reacting to the dark magic he was about to throw at us. I pushed myself between Rylan and Nikolas just as Ekon launched his attack.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Rylan
My heart froze as Mae threw herself in front of me. She threw up her hands and deflected Ekon’s spell. He hissed in anger and pulled a heavy, ancient gold sword from beneath his robe. He took a step forward. I grabbed Mae’s hand and yanked her backward. A roar overhead warned me we had a new threat to worry about. I pulled Mae behind me as a dark shadow blanketed us.
“I have been bathing in the power of my victims for years. My power surpasses that of anyone on this battlefield, including you, child,” Ekon taunted as he took a step forward. “Tell me, do you have the power to stop a dragon and an immortal?”