The huge troll heard this and grabbed the silver-armoured warrior that he was fighting, by the throat, before smashing his war hammer into his head. He then threw the soldier’s dead body to one side and lumbered across to the cart, in which Merihim’s mortal body was still lying. He lifted the scrawny yellow creature out and put it on his shoulder. As he ran towards the cage, he spun his hammer in front of him, so that nothing could get close to him.
With two huge bounds, Manil was standing in front of the cage. He held open the door with one arm and threw the tiny body inside. The diminutive creature hit the bars and bounced, falling to the floor next to the remains of Erion’s broken carcass.
Ciqala watched as he did this and then called, “Wait there, and as soon as we’ve pushed Merihim’s spirit into the cage lock it.” The tiny, but powerful Wuzen, rolled to his left to escape a ball of molten lava thrown at him by Merihim’s spirit then glanced up at the two Dragons and sent his thoughts into their minds, ‘We must force the creature into the cage!’
Primero nodded, before landing and moving across to Ciqala, his huge girth shaking the ground as he walked. Vif, however, remained in the sky. She circled the camp once and sent another blast of fire at Merihim. The plume struck the creature, knocking it back towards the cage. Seeing the effect that her fire had, Ciqala and Primero sent bolt after bolt of lightning at Merihim.
At first, nothing seemed to happen – Merihim managed to steady itself and howled with fury.
However, just then – unseen by anybody but Ciqala – tendrils of power began emanating from Bray like an ethereal octopus. They snaked through the air, seemingly attaching themselves to Galivan, Muru and Peg. For a brief moment, one of the magical tentacles waved in the air as if lost and then sped across to Gwion.
As soon as it touched him, the tendril glowed brightly, as did the others, before a bolt of energy shot from Bray and struck both the Dragon and Ciqala. Mogya rich, this imbued both Primero and Ciqala with more power than they had ever experienced. Their eyes glowed for a moment and then they sent blast after blast into Merihim. Each crackling torrent of energy pushed the evil entity further back. As this was going on, the three Ancient ones joined Ciqala and added their power to the struggle.
Manil steadied himself against the panic, which was threatening to overwhelm him and stood stoically, as the spirit of Merihim tumbled closer to the cage.
As it approached the door, it seemed to steady itself against the lightning coming from Ciqala and Primero. Vif then swooped towards the creature and once again slammed her talons into it. She then sent two columns of flame at it, one from each nostril. Merihim could not stand for long against the immense, combined might that was attacking it and eventually it flipped twice, screaming in pain and then sailed into the cage. Manil did not know what good shutting the gate on a being capable of passing through walls, would do, nevertheless, he slammed it and turned the key, which was still in the door - locking it.
As soon as Merihim’s spirit was in the cage, it tried to right itself, so that it could escape, but it brushed against the tiny, fragile creature, which was its mortal body and began to shriek with pain. Bray heard this and risked a glance at the cage. He ducked under a wild untrained blow from an enemy soldier and then sped towards where Merihim was still screeching. He rummaged in his pocket, as he ran and his fingers curled around the chain of the necklace that he had taken from the Dragon’s lair.
He pulled it from his pocket, and, as he drew close enough to the cage, threw it at Merihim. His throw was accurate, and the necklace bounced off the bars and struck the writhing shapes inside.
Shuddering uncontrollably, the huge ethereal shape of Merihim began to shrink. As it became smaller, it started taking on its natural yellow skin tone. Seeing this, Ciqala and the two Dragons immediately took up positions next to Peg and Galivan, who had moved their troops to protect the cage. Aiming carefully, so that they would not hurt any of their own troops, the two Dragons began to put down a carpet of flame, which burnt all the Demons and Rockserpents within range. As this was happening, the three Ancient ones clasped hands and summoned a circular, invisible shield around the cage. Ciqala used the brief respite to gather himself and get his breath back; the fight with Merihim having taken all his strength.
The tiny Wuzen rubbed his hand over his furry head, wiping the sweat from his brow. Suddenly, Merihim went silent, so Ciqala turned towards it. Smiling with satisfaction, he saw that Merihim’s spirit was now inside its body. However, he knew that he had to act quickly, because with the added power of its spirit, Merihim would be even more dangerous than before.
Trusting the Ancient ones’ barrier to keep the enemy at bay, he opened the cage door and stepped in. Bray and Gwion rushed in through the doorway to help Ciqala carry the fragile body out of the cage. Ciqala then pulled the hood from the tiny yellow creature and glared into its terrified eyes. He could see the power beginning to build inside it, through its large round, dark eyes, so he turned to Bray and said, “Kill it. I cannot. If I kill anything then the power inside me will become corrupt and I’ll become far worse than Merihim ever was.”
Shuddering slightly at the thought, Bray clambered past the Wuzen and lifted his sword. Peering down at the seemingly helpless creature, Bray’s compassion made him pause for the briefest of moments, but his ferocious fury suddenly took hold and he swung his blade. However, before he could strike, Bray felt a strong hand grab his shoulder and then he found himself spinning away from Ciqala. He bounced off the bars and landed in a heap on the floor. Looking, up he stared in shock at the axe blade that had just split Merihim’s chest. Omni glanced at Bray, with mirth glimmering in his eyes, and sarcasm dripping from his tongue, as he said, “Must I do everything around here.” He then spun around and left the cage, leaving Ciqala chuckling behind him.
Bray glanced around, waiting to see if anything would change because Merihim was dead. However, as he peered out of the bars, he could see nothing had; the Dragons were still fighting hundreds of odd-shaped Demons and the Elves were battling hard with the remainder of the silver-armoured infantry; their archers pouring arrow fire into them like a horde of angry bees.
Suddenly, the entire world shook and Bray’s sight began to blur. As he peered out of the cage, the world seemed to ripple like water. He rubbed his eyes to try clearing his vision, but, as he did, the Demons, Rockserpents and silver-armoured warriors disappeared. He stood up, but nausea shook him and he stumbled. Catching himself on the bars of the cage, he spun towards Gwion, who was standing next to Ciqala; his son was suffering just as he was.
Bray stood rooted to the spot, as the two Dragons also vanished, the shock almost too much for him to handle. After the cage had disappeared and he had thumped to the floor, he gazed in wonder at the countryside around, as it began to change. Like an accelerated painting, the charred plains grew lush green grass and the massive mountain shrunk away to nothing, as the busy metropolis of Antia grew out of the ground.
Once the ground had stopped shifting and Antia was standing proud as if it had never been anywhere else, Bray clambered unsteadily to his feet. He glanced around and saw that everybody and everything else had gone; that was except Gwion, Peg, Galivan, the three Ancient Ones, Ciqala and himself.
Ciqala moved across to a small knoll not far behind him and inhaled deeply, enjoying the fresh air as if it were a rare wine. The three blonde haired Ancient ones strolled across to join him and stood behind him. Evelon beckoned to Bray and said softly, “Come and sit down.”
Unsure of what was happening, but trusting the four magical beings in front of him, Bray did as she had asked and sat in front of Ciqala. The other three glanced at each other curiously and then joined Bray. As soon as they were sitting, Ciqala leant forward and said, “Time is now as if Merihim had died before the war with the Demon-King.”
Excitedly Gwion interrupted him by asking, “Does that mean that the war never happened?”
Ciqala shook his head and replied, “No
, the war still happened.” He smiled slightly and continued, “The Demon-King was far too power hungry for that. Merihim put him in place and then made him powerful enough to become his equal.”
Grinning cheekily, he said, “It is a good job too, Gwion. If the war had never happened, your parents would never have met and you would not exist.”
Cocking his head to one side, curiously, Gwion asked, “So what about the second war?”
The Wuzen nodded slightly, before replying, “Unfortunately, yes, but in this time-line the Demon at the lake was controlling everything after escaping from Hackich during the Demon-King war.” He then winked at Gwion and added, “Otherwise Tal would not have met Posendre and would still be as wild as his father.”
Turning to the others, his face growing serious, he declared, “I have kept you here, because you’re the guardians of our planet. You must never forget what has happened here and never let it happen again.” Without waiting for any of them to reply, Ciqala stood up, waved to somebody behind them and then strolled past them.
As Ciqala walked away, Bray and the others turned around, spotting a dozen Wuzens, one of whom Bray recognised as Guylin, Ciqala’s brother. As Ciqala joined the Wuzens, the two brothers gave each other a relieved hug and then turned away from Bray and the others, before walking towards Antia. With every step that they took, they faded, seemingly becoming thinner the further away they moved, until eventually they vanished completely.
The four warriors, who were still gawping in shock, suddenly spun around as they heard a popping sound behind them. As they turned, the four of them saw that the three Tempits had appeared and were standing next to Gantalla.
Sustan, the tall male, who had been very ill when Bray had called for their help, stepped forward and placed a surprisingly strong hand on Bray’s shoulder. They all then heard his voice echo in their heads, as if he was speaking from a long way away. ‘Thank you. You have all put balance back into Mogya and everything is as it should be.’
He then looked directly at Bray and said, ‘Once again, we find ourselves in your debt. There is no way that we’ll ever be able to repay you for the efforts that you and your son have gone to, so rest assured that long after either you or Gwion have gone from Earit, we will watch over your descendants.” With this, he stepped back, leaving Bray staring at him in shock, and clasped hands with his two sisters. The three of them then nodded to the Ancient ones and disappeared.
Peg, trying to make light of the subject, stood up, forced a chuckle and asked, “Well what about mine?”
Bray was about to make a sarcastic retort, but he went silent as, almost in a whisper, as if carried on the wind, they heard, ‘Yours will be cared for by the Elves and Dragons as there is a special bond between your people that will never again be broken.’
Peg looked slightly stunned and then sheepishly shrugged, before murmuring, “I was just asking.”
This comment broke the tension and everybody, including the Ancient ones burst into laughter. Evelon then moved across to a nearby rock and pulled a small ring from her robes. She twisted her fingers in a complicated dance and stood back. Above the rock, light began to pool and very soon, a perfectly round stone door had appeared. Once it had become solid, she reached for the handle and opened it.
Spinning around, she smiled and then beckoned for the others to follow, before saying, “Let me show you an easier way to travel back in time.” With this, she stepped through into the mystical cavern and began climbing down the ladder. As she clambered down, she called back up, “Whoever is last through, remember to close the door.”
Gwion, who was at the back of the line, stepped into the cavern and then rolling his eyes, as he heard Evelon’s obvious comment, turned to close the door. Pulling hard on the handle, he just managed to glimpse a very surprised farmer staring straight at him. Gwion slammed the door and shrugged, muttering to himself, “People will just think he is drunk.”
The eight companions kept climbing down the ladder for what seemed an eternity, until Evelon eventually stepped onto a rusty walkway. The others soon joined her, and Bray, who had never been this deep into the cavern, looked up. Awed at how far they had come down, he felt nausea sweep through him at the thought of what would have happened if he had fallen. With this in mind, he brought his eyes back down to his own level and fought the bile that he felt making its way up his throat. Evelon then pressed her ring to the faded wooden doorpost and the door opened with a pop. She then stepped through into the small cottage, which the Ancient Ones called home.
No human had ever stepped into the cottage and Evelon liked it that way. ‘As Bray and Gwion have Ancient blood flowing through their veins, they are more Elf than human, so they don’t count,’ she thought.
Without pausing, Evelon took the four warriors from Earit into her living room. Bray marvelled at the comfortable settings, realising that as powerful as the three women were, they were still very feminine.
He did not have time to dwell on the room much longer, because Evelon interrupted his thoughts by saying, “I’m going to open a door for you, which will bring you out in the Velumian throne room.” She paused briefly and then continued, “Don’t forget that nobody will have any idea what you have just gone through and they must never know.”
She then strolled across to a blank wall, which had nothing but an old grandfather clock adorning it. Placing her hand on the wall, she began to hum and then her entire body began to glow. As Bray and the other three watched, the shape of a door began to materialise under her fingers.
Stepping back, she waited until it had formed completely and then opened it. With a grand gesture, she indicated for the four warriors to go through. As Gwion stepped forward, Kiera placed a hand on his shoulder and with a wink, said, “Make sure that you tell Primero where Vif is won’t you.”
Gwion nodded, smiling slightly at the intonation in her voice, and then stepped through the door into the blue, silk-adorned throne room of Velumia. He turned to reply, but Kiera merely smiled and turned away, as Evelon closed the door. The rectangular shape immediately flashed and then disappeared, leaving the four warriors standing in the throne room, alone.
Galivan shook his head and as he moved across to the large double doors, which led out, said, “I wish that I could say that nothing surprises me anymore, but if I said that, I would be lying.”
Hope Springs
As Galivan strode towards the large doors, they suddenly burst open. He skipped back out of the way, as the Royal guard rushed into the room, their weapons levelled at the intruders. Lin-Te immediately recognised the four warriors and lowered his sword with shock on his face. He stepped forward and directed an order to the Gnomes in the Royal guard, “Place your weapons away guys, they’re friends.”
With this order, the Royal Guard immediately placed their swords back in their scabbards and stood silently awaiting their next command. Lin-Te moved across to Galivan, who had drawn his own sword, as the guards had stormed into the room and was putting it away as the Chintwene warrior said, “I’m not going to ask why you’re here. I can only assume that yet again something has gone horribly wrong.”
Galivan chuckled and replied, “This time, something has gone horribly right.”
The look of confusion on Lin-Te’s face said everything, but before Galivan could explain, Bazil stormed into the room. He glanced at the assembled warriors and then his face broke into a grin. He noticed Peg and asked, “What are you doing here Peg. I thought you would be in Tamlin looking after your new baby?”
Peg smiled, thinking of his family waiting for him and then replied, “It’s been one of those years Bazil.” Bazil stared at him strangely, but then Peg simply said, “The Ancient Ones.”
Bazil nodded and then with a knowing wink, said, “Say no more.” He then turned around and said to Lin-Te, “Escort our visitors to the guest quarters.”
With this, Bray stepped forward, placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder and said, “Thank you, but we need t
o be heading off. I would love to stay but I must get back and see Raeywin.”
Bazil nodded and replied, “Alright then, but it is a shame; I could do with a few ales.”
Smiling, Bray answered, “Hold that thought; once I have been home, I’ll be back.”
Bazil chuckled at this and then asked, “If I cannot offer you my hospitality, how can I help you?”
Bray thought for a moment and then replied, “Four horses would be a good start.”
Bazil nodded and then turned to Lin-Te, before saying, “Tell the chief groom to get them ready.”
On his command, Lin-Te immediately sprang to attention and rushed out of the throne room to do as the King had asked. As he did so, Bray called after him, “Thank you.” He then strolled across to Bazil and patted him on the shoulder, before continuing, “It’s been good to see you.”
Bazil nodded and replied, “I can’t wait until you come back.” He then smirked as he walked out of the room, by Bray’s side. Just before they moved outside, the Royal guards rushed out in front of them, gently moving people out of their way, allowing them to climb down the ornate marble steps to the richly decorated foyer below unhindered. As they stepped into it, Bray noticed a picture of Prince Artir. He turned to Bazil and asked, “Where is Artir?”
Bazil chuckled slightly and then answered, “I have sent him to Sarn to learn how to be a soldier.”
Bray raised an eyebrow and asked, “Why Sarn?”
At this, Bazil stared at Bray weirdly for a second and then said, “Because between Tam, Tal and his bride Posendre, Artir doesn’t stand a chance. If he doesn’t watch his manners he will know about it.”
To this, Bray laughed and replied, “That’s cruel.”
In response to this, Bazil giggled like a schoolchild and replied, “I know it’s great isn’t it.”
Shaking his head, Bray followed the King out of the palace and on to the stables, where the groom had four gigantic hunting chargers waiting for them. Bazil halted, as they reached the tall oak panelled doors and clasped Bray’s hand.
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