“
Get ready. This might be
a shorter battle than we hoped,” said the figure with frailty in
her voice.
The rock wall still stood, but started to crumble
after just a minute. The Earth-casters focused harder to keep it
together, but the stone shook, and shook. The eyes of squinting
signed the failure of the up keeping upon their enemies being kept
at bay.
“
I hope the king and
Ematay hurries,” said the same person at the front line not
actually doing anything at the moment quietly. But then she shouted
to those around her straight after. “The odds are upon us. In a
number that blackens the mind—as well as our sight. But that will
not stop our courage here today, Astorians.”
Eleanor
and Christian were inside this other dimension.
It felt
cold, and all that was around, was themselves and the black hole
they came from.
But there
was not one portal. In front, some distance away, was another that
looked out to somewhere they had not seen before on the other side.
Clarity had come to the two children now about their enemy.
Eleanor and
Christian began to see the Shadows come into sight on the other
side of the portal facing them, and both had to hide, but where,
they did not know.
Eleanor
searched around and spotted a darker area in moments, one which
blended with the other darkness, but not as well. The sheer dark
colour of the dimension was eerie, like a frightening tale in in
motion, ready for a hand or person to grab and take them, one, or
maybe the two at once.
They were
behind a darker wall that was like a box, enclosed, with what
looked like no door at all at first.
Both
watched the Shadows go through to the other side, and were
traumatised by how many there was. The enemy had not reached this
other portal yet though, so they were not sure what to do now. They
couldn’t help their friends any better than themselves. But there
was far too many whatever they done in these moments.
“What
should we do?” asked Christian.
“Find the
Stone Swan. That is why we’re here. They can handle themselves
better than we could ever help. We have to be our quickest and
smartest. She felt the wall’s cold, as if no warmth or contact had
ever come to it. “Maybe the stone is in here,” she said. “Maybe we
have ended up with some luck after all. I pray that we have, cause
we can’t afford to go rummaging around this place. Everything looks
so similar and bare.”
“We just
need to find a way into it now, if we even can,” said
Christian.
“Don’t even
joke about doubt right now. I don’t have the energy. Lets get into
this dam thing,” said Eleanor, looking at the darker boxlike shape
when she stood far enough back to see it more clearly.
They looked
around. Eleanor noticed it seemed to have a ceiling of some sort,
made of the thickness of the wall, and just as cold, as real. They
pressed against all the areas they could without being seen by
their enemies.
The sight
and danger of the Shadows seeing them seemed to grow with every
second, there was a pressure pressing on them, a pressure pressing
at their chest, their hearts; they sank at this time. Seeing the
thousands of pitch black moving soldiers march to their friends
deaths, them not being able to stop it. They felt tremendously
helpless that they couldn’t even find how to get into a boxed
room.
“Eleanor,
this place is made of dark energy. All of the power Ematay talked
about was said to come from this dimension, all the shapes: Those
ropes and disks the Dark Queen attacked us with. Maybe, just maybe,
light could be the way into this place. Light from your fire,” said
Christian.
“You might
be right,” said Eleanor with a sound of frailty, yet also a hint of
hope; the little hope lurked in there, in the back of her mind as
she said it, echoing.
“Here goes
nothing,” said Eleanor.
She went to
the back of the cube, away from the sight of the Shadow army, like
Christian. She knew she couldn’t make straight out light like the
Fire-caster Lauretta did; as she was nowhere near as experienced
enough to do so. But she hoped a little flicker of her fire shield
would give enough light to make a dint in this darkness. To make a
change that would help them get closer.
She flicked
her fire shield on briefly, hoping nobody would see.
A sound of
fire was heard, simmering and causing the dark energy and this cold
solid wall to make small bubbles to begin with.
And there
it presented itself to them; the gap they had just made; there was
now an entire empty wall missing at the back. They all could hear
the thundering footsteps still move by them, only hoping and
praying they would not hear or see their enemy in great numbers, as
usual—at all.
They
saw something inside straight away. Although it was covered in some
black remains; there was two items there, though. Not just one.
They were mightily glad they came here as both had a good feeling
about this.
But even if we could get this
stuff off the items, how would we get past all the Shadows,
thought Eleanor.
“Isn’t it
weird how you have the power to find things, and yet you have the
power of fire, which was used to find this,” said Christian.
“I guess
two abilities can cross over on their usefulness. I am not
complaining,” said Eleanor.
“I think we
are going to need fire again to get this stuff off, there is no way
this is how it is meant to look. Not from the way Ematay told us of
it.”
“Well it is
made of stone, or one of them is. So it has to be grey of some
sort,” said Eleanor, “the Dark Queen must have done something to
it. I will use the free as fire spell this time.”
Eleanor
chanted the words she was so used to her mother saying to light the
wicks of candles and start fires in their home. The warmth of the
spell was both real and mental, warm from the image of her mother
being attached to it in some way. Though this time Eleanor was
frightened when she did eventually touch this first item.
And when
she did—it moved as soon as she felt the surface. It began to crawl
up her in its black state, but she quickly muttered the words of
the spell that came from the only finger touching the item now,
stopping it. The black was burnt into dust, scattered on the floor,
but not being able to see it as it blended in with the
surroundings. It peeled the blackness from the item that had the
shape of a stationery swan without feet, as it was just smooth at
the bottom, which is where it must have been attached and placed in
the Silver Cathedral. It looked beautifully carved once they could
see the Stone Swan’s true form.
She done
the same with the other item, which was shaped very differently,
and it all seemed to go smoothly. Smoother than last time.
The Stone
Swan was incredibly heavy for Eleanor to pick up at first, but
after a few seconds it seemed lighter, like lifting only a few
feathers; some physical reality had been removed on the weighty
side of it, though nobody knew how.
“It’s
pretty…” said Eleanor. She was about to say heavy, but the
weightiness changed suddenly, as if it responded to how much she
could lift. “Light,” she gave a confused face.
“It doesn’t
look light,” replied Christian.
“It wasn’t
to begin with, but it changed just now. How odd.”
“That is
odd,” said Christian picking up the Spirit Stone. “Isn’t this the
stone we saw on the way in?”
“Yes. Which
means the one we saw first must be a trick of the mind, or an
illusion. You know, I don’t even know if illusions even exist in
our magickal world and all.”
“Me
neither. Well at least this is light from the get go though,” said
Christian holding the Apostle Stone. “We just have to get past
those Shadow soldiers.” Eleanor and Christian hid behind the other
three walls whilst trying to think of something.
“I really
do fear for them now,” said Eleanor.
“Let’s hope
the two Edeolon Warriors are as powerful as we are led to
believe.”
Eleanor and
Christian’s eyes all looked as if they gave up hope, which was not
what they just said and hoped to believe.
“We have to
go to them, there is no other way,” said Christian. “Do you think
you can keep a shield up long enough to get through?” asked
Eleanor’s friend in a time of desperation.
“We have no
other option,” said Eleanor. “It’s the only way this time. Maybe if
you stay really close I can, but I will have to make the shield
smaller than usual. It will be tight.”
“We will
make it,” said the boy seeing the worry creep into his friends eyes
already. “You are still a finder. Whatever it is that guides and
gives you this power, it will help us now, to get to them.”
“Let’s hope
so,” replied Eleanor.
“You
ready?” asked Christian, grabbing the stone that was smaller but
not lighter than the swan Eleanor held with two hands. And she now
noticed the blackness of this world looked similar to the Shadows
too, it was dark, but also gave an ominous glow that descended upon
certain angles.
She blew
her cheeks up and gave a tremendous sigh. “Yes. Stay close,” she
offered her hand to her friend for the first time; and the boy
didn’t know exactly what it meant right now, but he didn’t hesitate
to grab it. She nodded her head, ready, and ran with him and the
stone in the other arm.
It looked
as if she was about to lose the stone after a short distance, not
because of it’s heaviness, but because of its shape, its
awkwardness. She pulled it up and held it even tighter than ever
before going to the line with the Shadow soldiers.
Eleanor
tried to make it so that she only powered up the spiralling flame
shield as near as possible to the portal and her friend. The
Shadows didn’t notice them until she done so, with the sizzling
rush of flames sparking up and caging them in, and keeping the
enemies out. The crackling of fire sounded their safety, but both
worried about its loss all the same.
They
nearly got through to the black hole they came from, but the flame
shield flickered, loosing its station for several seconds.
Regardless of its short loss, there was three Shadows coming for
them. Right now; ones that managed to creep into their space.
“Keep
going, we’re nearly there,” said Christian. The Battle-caster in
training knew they were lucky to just get a few of them here. Yet
one by one, Christian touched them with his own magick; the magick
of his mind, of might, of kinetic power enhanced by telekinesis.
Each one flew into the fire cage, sizzling into dust. He then
turned round, facing the same way as his friend now; they were
right next to the portal, and soon, though it didn’t feel soon
enough, shot through.
Eleanor
and Christian got through and got to their friends sides. It was a
tremendous sight. Ematay spotted and shielded them as soon as he
saw them.
Selphira
was an Original, and by herself she was crushing and smashing a lot
of Shadows at once, keeping them at bay. They saw a few get close,
but Oddius pushed them back to be crushed by the force of
Selphira.
It was a
mighty sight and sound; with tremendous rocks moving, pounding, the
taste of an almighty hope lingered in the air once more. When the
children were in the dark realm everything seemed hopeless, like
the blackness of the world, as well of the Shadows coming through,
drained their hope. But even in these numbers, nothing looked
impossible anymore and out of reach.
“Good work
you two. I assume they are the stones,” said Ematay. They both
nodded frantically.
“We are all
making a run for it in ten seconds, we were hoping you would
return. Even the Dark Queen’s dimension powers can’t go beyond the
white wall when it closes.”
“Now,” said
Oddius in haste, but also in a clear, powerful voice.
They all
ran from them, and Oddius, as soon as they all formed their line,
running, created a gravity well in place before them, to buy some
time. And it had done, about ten seconds; but in the way of things,
it proved the best amount of time possible. They went through the
dark shadowlike portal to where the Original Astorian lay dead, and
ran as fast as they could.
The Dark
Queen hadn’t followed them, and they were not sure why; as she
could have done to this area, just not beyond the white wall that
held the riddle.
However,
they were grateful that they made it to the other side, and only
seeing the Shadows peer from the star-bracelets—just before the
white wall shut, about five minutes after running from the former
shadow portal.
The white
wall shut with a clanking scrape of stone against rock, and slammed
and shook the ground, the earth, as well as the vicious flash of
light that it disappeared with also, only this time it appeared
with it.
Now, all
that lay between their escape, was the stairs, and the tunnel to
their swans. They all pleaded and hoped in silence as they went up
the stairs as fast as they could. They couldn’t run. It was made
clear why; their joints were even more tired, and they were all
clammy, their use of magick made them more weary than before, much
more so that few of them could give any kind of expression of
gratefulness for getting out of the last part alive.
They kept
on going up, at a steady yet slower pace than what they came down;
the physics of going up didn’t agree with their mind nor legs at
this time.
They
soon enough got to the top, and crept through the trick and
illusion of the hidden path. And there was still nothing. No
Shadows and Dark Queen. Other than a few Pixies that Ematay
shielded them from; they soon enough past, as they realised they
could not get to them to play; to become a part of their own.