Guardians of Rhea

by Rodriguez, Jose

  Sitting up as quickly as he could, Tomel turned to see an animal with the head, wings and front legs of a giant eagle, and the rear quarters of a lion suddenly leap from the woods and land above him.

  “Emei!” Tomel playfully whined as the baby, dog-sized griffin licked his face.

  Emei jumped sideways and ran in circles, squawking.

  Tomel got to his feet. “Come here,” he said, eyeing the griffin intently. As Tomel mounted Emei, he looked toward a nearby cliff and took a deep breath.

  It was at least a thousand feet from the top of the cliff to the ground below. Galloping on Emei, Tomel stopped at the edge and took a long, hard look.

  The view was amazing, nothing but land as far as the eye could see. Mountains all but filled the background. A marvelous white city of gigantic proportions lay in between.

  Tomel gulped nervously. “This is it.”

  Looking down the cliff, Emei also seemed anxious.

  “Alright, Emei,” Tomel said. “We can do this.”

  Taking a few steps back, Emei crouched, wagging his hind end before running full speed to the edge and leaping over.

  Falling headfirst like a rock, Tomel held tight. “C'mon, Emei, fly!”

  Emei spread his wings, struggling to stay stable. No matter how hard he tried, it was difficult just to flap them because of the wind.

  All it took was a strong gust to send both careening out of control.

  Holding Emei with a death grip, Tomel cried out in terror. The griffin shrieked as he tried to right himself, but it was impossible with Tomel. As the two were sure they were about to meet their end, a much bigger griffin swooped them up.

  Carried back to the top of the cliff and dropped to the ground, Tomel and Emei looked up to see their savior and its rider. Against the backdrop of the sun, it was difficult for Tomel to see who the adult male in hoplite-style armor was.

  The rider dismounted and removed his helmet.

  “Uh-oh,” Tomel said upon seeing his father, Krios. He slowly got back to his feet, looking down in shame.

  The large griffin cawed loudly at Emei.

  “Easy, E’Ralc.” Krios said, petting his griffin. “Tomel, you mind telling me what you were thinking?”

  “S-sorry, Father…” Tomel muttered.

  “You almost got yourself killed! How many times do I have to tell you that you have to wait until your griffin is older before he can fly? His wings aren't large enough.”

  “I...thought he was ready. I'm tired of all my friends telling me I'm not a real Corinthian if I can't ride a griffin.”

  Krios kneeled and hugged his son. “If I hadn't tried the same thing with E’Ralc when I was your age, I'd kill you myself.”

  “You jumped off a cliff, too?!”

  “Dear no! It was a dirt mound no higher than nine feet. I ended up with a broken arm.”

  “I guess I overdid it,” said Tomel.

  Krios stood. “You've got some brass, son, I'll give you that much.”

  “Are you gonna tell Mom?” Tomel asked.

  “Ha!” Krios laughed, mounting E’Ralc. “She'd never let you ride again.”

  The two Corinthians rode across the grassy clearing and over several hills to a farm, where a woman was hanging clothes.

  Krios wasted no time running to his wife and kissing her. “Sasha.”

  Sasha smiled. “I knew you'd return.”

  “We did it,” Krios said, holding his wife. “We won.”

  Filled with joy, Sasha squeezed Krios as hard as she could.

  Out of nowhere, a faint gust of wind suddenly came over the family followed by the sound of distant thunder.

  “Dad, look!” Tomel said, pointing. The city he'd seen earlier was visible, only this time there was a huge black sphere floating high above it.

  “Krios, what is that?” Sasha asked.

  Blowing in the direction of the sphere, the wind gradually became much stronger and constant. Lightning tore through the sky. The clouds formed a hurricane-like effect as they were absorbed into the sphere.

  Krios looked on in horror. “No.”

  The city below was in chaos. People ran in terror as the life around them was sucked up. Plants of all manner, birds, insects, domesticated and undomesticated animals were all being taken. Even the blue sky appeared as if it was being ripped apart. Buildings and the rocks they were made of seemed to be just about the only things not affected.

  Tomel cried out, “Dad, what’s going on?”

  Inky black streaks began to radiate from the sphere, though not in some random fashion. The ink chased after the Corinthians. Those touched by it fell in agony. Writhing in pain, their skin turned to a light gray. Hair, nails and any clothing took on the same black color as the ink. When they opened, their eyes were green with a faint glow.

  Krios could see the dark storm that had enveloped the city was quickly spreading out in all directions. “Tomel, grab Emei!” he said, jumping on E’Ralc and helping Sasha up. “We have to get out of here! Follow me!”

  The griffins took off running just as several streaks of ink reached the farm. With the wind blowing against them, it was difficult to make any headway, especially for Emei. After a quick sprint downhill, they made their way as fast as they could between the hillsides, where the wind wasn't as strong. It was a desperate run, as the ink traced their every move.

  Seeing the ink rapidly closing in, E’Ralc fell behind to nudge Emei ahead.

  Tomel looked back, and it was then he realized there was no chance. No hope. Whatever was happening, his whole world was succumbing to it.

  “Tomel, keep going!” Krios yelled, then spinning around at the sound of Sasha screaming – the ink had snared her.

  As Sasha fell, Krios grabbed hold of her with one hand, but it was too late. The momentum pulled them both down and the ink wasted no time to catch and turn him into the same monstrosity.

  Unwilling to abandon his caretaker, E’Ralc turned and roared at Krios' suffering. A streak of ink splattered across the mighty griffin's chest, causing him to reel and transform like the Corinthians; the lion half becoming gray, the bird half turning black.

  Tears filled Tomel's eyes. Emei cried out as he tried with all his strength to move forward, to no avail.

  As Tomel had feared, the dark storm steadily swept through everything in its path, consuming, expanding in an ever-increasing circle, until his entire world was but a shadow of itself.**

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  “So that’s what happened to this place?” Sara asked, helping Caycee to her feet.

  “Yeah,” Caycee said, rubbing her forehead. “I don’t know what it was, but I saw it.”

  “Did you see what made that black sphere?” Arloff asked. “It sounds like the same thing they’re trying to use in the Netherworld.”

  Caycee shook her head. “It was horrible. Those poor people never had a chance.”

  “How can we ever hope to stop something like that?” Janah asked. “It’s the perfect weapon. A single touch and you become one of them.”

  “I find it interesting,” Nedim said.

  Sara almost couldn’t believe what she heard. “I’d love to hear about it.”

  “Our records show that when the Pelasgians invaded Rhea, the Corinthians were there.”

  “Meaning?”

  “Meaning what Caycee saw must have happened before,” Nedim said. “If the Pelasgians already had such a weapon then why didn’t they use it? It may be a good sign, especially if it does not work in the Netherworld.”

  “Okay,” Janah said. “I’m feeling a little better.”

  “Don’t get your hopes up yet,” Sara said. “They can still invade us. I’ve heard you all talk about how many of them there are, and to be honest I never thought much of it. But if what Caycee said is true then we could be looking at worlds of these guys. I don’t know about you, Janah, but I’m feeling a little worse.”

  The Fenrir were transfixed on the moon. “Hey,” Leon said, grabbing their atten
tion, and placing his pointer finger across his lips.

  Gillan looked toward the sea, confused. He then held his hand out as if to cause something to happen. “Uh-oh.”

  Leon then noticed Kamala's similar concern over a rock. “What is it?” he asked.

  “Our abilities don't work here,” Kamala said.

  “I can sense the water,” Gillan said. “But nothing happens.”

  Nedim held his fist up close to his face. A faint yellow glow briefly emanated from his hand. “It seems the Khothu's powers are somehow suppressed in this realm.”

  Frustrated, Kamala and Gillan equipped their weapons.

  “Stay focused,” Leon said. Peering off into the valley, he spotted Eris flying into a small town. “This way.”

  Everyone moved in line as fast as they could.

  “So let me guess,” Sara said. “These Myrmidons are pretty special.”

  “As far as we know, yes,” Leon replied doing his best to keep an eye on the town. “They're unique. If that thing is a Myrmidon, it should be the only one that can open those portals.”

  Gillan and Janah held hands going down an incline.

  “Looks like I might actually get my wish to kill a Pelasgian after all,” Janah said.

  “Okay, seriously!” Gillan said. “Who looks forward to that?”

  Sara saw that there was no place to take cover as they approached the town. “Uh, Leon,” she said, disconcerted.

  Just short of exposing the group to the open, Leon stopped behind a large geode jutting out from the ground.

  “I don't see a way in,” Sara said, looking around. “At least, not without taking a stroll through no man's land.”

  The town had a wall much like New Haven, though there were no buildings any taller than two stories. It was a little too quiet for comfort. Even from their ideal vantage point, they could see no one inside.

  “Caycee,” Leon called. “Get up here.”

  “If this isn’t an ambush,” Kamala said, “I don't know what is.”

  Caycee huddled next to Leon. “It always feels good when you want my opinion.”

  “Just tell me what you feel,” said Leon.

  “I've had a bad feeling ever since we left Vesuvia.” Caycee chuckled. “If I had to lean one way or the other, I'd say we better be ready for anything. Something's down there, but I don't think it's waiting for us.”

  “Good,” Leon said, then looking back to the group. “Everyone, get your war face on.”

  The Fenrir morphed back into their wolf form.

  “Wait here,” Leon said, before running off so fast no one could see him until he reached the gate to the city and jumped over it.

  “Is he out of his bloody mind?” Darek asked.

  Within moments, Leon was pulling the gate open and waved for the rest to join him.

  Inside, the town appeared deserted.

  “You sure that thing is still here?” Nedim asked.

  “I've had my eyes on this place almost the whole time,” Leon answered. “She has to be here.”

  “Maybe we should split up,” Doradus suggested.

  “I don't know about that,” Kamala said. “We're much stronger as a group.”

  “I agree with both of you,” Sara said. “It looks like we’re on the main street. We can split up into two staggered groups, one on each side. This way we're close enough to help each other and it'll be harder for someone to surround us.”

  “You know, we could probably just walk down the street, but I guess it’s better to be safe than sorry,” Leon said. “Nedim, take the Fenrir and cover the left. Caycee, Darek, go with them. If you see that woman, don't hesitate to kill her.”

  In their hasty search through the town, Leon and Nedim made sure to keep each other in sight, pausing only briefly to communicate with hand signals.

  The main street dead-ended at a large rectangular building with an ominous green glow visible through the windows.

  Leon signaled for everyone to stop.

  Sara whispered. “What now?”

  “Stay here,” Leon said, silently going forward alone. Jumping on the roof, he found an opening and dropped down.

  Now inside the building, Leon could hear the portal as well as some movement. After making his way down to the first floor, he carefully peeked around a corner, barely catching a glimpse of Eris.

  In one swift move, Leon leapt around the corner and unsheathed his sword, but stopped at the sight of a Corinthian woman and her child between him and his target.

  Hesitation.

  Eris immediately grabbed the Corinthians and flew through the portal, which instantly closed.

  Leon stood, paralyzed at the lost opportunity.

  From the shadows, a Corinthian soldier came charging, grabbing Leon and driving him through several walls until they ended up on the street.

  Sara and the others quickly moved in to help, but Leon was fast to flip the Corinthian over and stab him through the chest.

  “Did you do it?!” Janah asked excitedly.

  Leon slowly rose to his feet. “No.”

  Just then, the echo of a dozen battle cries came over the wall.

  All eyes fell back down the main street.

  “What was that?” Kamala asked.

  “Not good,” Leon answered. “Everyone, back to the gate!”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Leon took off at top speed. He covered the distance in mere seconds, and began closing the gate as fast as he could. A little over a hundred yards away, he could see what looked like several dozen Pelasgians charging. Many of them were Corinthian, some riding griffins.

  Some Pelasgians were Satyrs. Armed with a spear, they had an upper body like a human and large horns on the head. They also had the legs of a goat and a long tail.

  There were also a few tall, hulking Cyclopes charging with large clubs.

  Circling high in the sky was an Eriny, a gangly ten-foot tall humanoid monstrosity with a massive bat-like wingspan.

  As Leon secured the gate, the rest of the group arrived.

  “How many?” Arloff asked.

  “Not sure, several dozen or so,” answered Leon.

  “There's no way we can hold up here for long,” Sara said. “We should go out there and meet those things head-on.”

  “I wouldn't worry about waiting.”

  Running at full speed, four Corinthians on griffins jumped over the wall.

  Nedim looked up and saw one of the griffins descending on him. He quickly placed his arms across his chest, forming an energy shield around his body.

  Crashing almost on top of the shield, the griffin stumbled back before charging at Nedim again. The other three griffins landed among the group, dispersing them in various directions.

  The griffin took a powerful swipe at Nedim causing his shield to fade out. Arloff tackled it, knocking the rider off. In brutal fashion he grabbed the creature's neck with both hands and snapped it like a twig. The Corinthian drew his sword and stabbed Arloff through the ribs. Without so much as flinching, Arloff took hold of the Corinthian and flung him over the wall.

  The Fenrir fearlessly went after a griffin and its rider, circling and attacking like a pack of wolves bringing down their prey.

  Several yards away, Kamala was on the run from a griffin hot on her tail. Sara and Caycee took aim with their bows and fired, one striking the griffin's hind leg – the other hitting the Corinthian's shoulder.

  The Corinthian hardly reacted, reaching over to pull out the arrow, but the griffin squawked in pain and ran at the ladies. Kamala quickly threw an axe into the back of the Corinthian, who fell, causing the griffin to pause just long enough for Sara and Caycee to fire another volley of arrows, this time felling the beast.

  The Cyclopes outside smashed their clubs against the gate, breaking it down piece by piece.

  Leon easily dodged a griffin's attempt to bite him. With the swing of his sword the animal's neck was slashed halfway, and as fast as the Corinthian could jump off, Leon impa
led him from behind.

  Darek, in his final form, had both hands tied up with a griffin's beak. It took everything he had just to hold the creature while Janah distracted the Corinthian for Gillan, who jumped from the opposite side and buried a sai into the Pelasgian's chest. Janah then drove both swords into the griffin's side for a quick kill.

  “Gather up!” Leon said. “Try to stay together.”

  The Pelasgians suddenly came crashing through the gate in a full-on blitz for the group.

  Leon dashed into the oncoming horde with a flurry of stabbing and slashing. With his Vesuvian speed, he easily dodged or countered every attack. In a matter of seconds a half-dozen Corinthians fell by his sword alone.

  Arloff charged forward, tackling two Cyclopes. He drove his hand into one of their eyes, grabbing whatever he could and ripping it out. The Fenrir followed, each lunging at a Corinthian. It was just enough to break up any momentum the Pelasgians had going.

  With the equinox in one hand, Sara grabbed her daggers and threw them as fast as she could, at best, slowing the oncoming Pelasgians down just a bit more. Caycee fired her remaining arrows to hinder the Pelasgian advance before drawing her rapier. The women then worked in tandem, bringing down one Pelasgian after another.

  Kamala deflected a Corinthian's sword with an axe and countered with the other, driving it into his neck. Gillan was close by, being out-muscled by a Corinthian who easily tossed him to the ground. Kamala ran by, bringing the Corinthian down with a blow to his knee and finishing him off with an axe to the heart.

  Nedim barely managed to block a Corinthian's sword with his long knife as it came dangerously close to his face. With the enemy nearly on top, he quickly placed his hand on the Corinthian's chest and fired an energy ball that tore through a few Pelasgians.

  Several Corinthians were having their own trouble with Janah. She cut through many like a warrior possessed. Her feline nature, when unleashed, was very fierce and fast.

  The remaining Pelasgians outside the gate pushed through in a mindless frenzy.

  Darek easily broke a Corinthian's neck with a swipe of his hand. Two more Corinthians advanced, using their shields to block and batter him. Darek rammed one, knocking the Corinthian back and unwittingly allowed a third to slice him across the back. Darek screeched in pain.