Chapter 25: A Child of Greatness

Rion often took Cory on walks through the woods. He held her in his arms and told her their story of coming to the new world. Though she was only two years old, Rion knew that she understood every word. Cory loved his story's, but knew her mommy and daddy were sad when they talked about their home. She wished she could make them happy, but she didn't understand what she could do to help them.

Harry and Sirius also took walks through the woods, but not for pleasure. King Fitzen and Bhutan were fighting again. There had been many scuffles outside of the forest and the two anamagi kept a keen eye on what was going on. There had been news of horrible battles occurring in the highlands, and that Bhutan was gaining power. Harry and Sirius knew from experience that they would have to flee if the forest were invaded.

Wash was updated by the two every day. He had his maps spread out and had been planning escape routes to safe zones. Lilia and Harry had used their magic to create wards around the cabin to detect intruders. Times were getting more dangerous and soon, unbeknown to the travelers, things would change.

One safe zone was Rion and Lilia's cave. Wards had also been placed around it and it had been camouflaged from view. Rion went to it daily to check the perimeter. He took no chances for someone to find their only chance home. He usually went to check it while he was with Cory. Every day he would explain to her what it was and how it worked. He had even created a book to show her that had step-by-step pictures of how a portal works. Cory knew he wanted something of her, but she didn't know what.

It was late one night when it happened. Bhutan's forces overtook Fitzen's at the borders between the territories. Bhutan's troops immediately invaded the highlands and were everywhere. Sirius had started staying at the edge of the forest during the night, watching for anything out of place.

Though it was night, Sirius could see swarms of featureless, dark figures sneaking through the night. As they came closer to the forest, he could feel the ground trembling. They were traveling fast. Sirius was on his feet in a flash and took off towards the cabin.

Rion felt him coming and his panic. He woke up Lilia and then went and woke Wash and Harry. They were ready to leave soon after Sirius arrived. Even though they were quick to prepare to leave, they were still too slow. Harry was ready to open the door to leave, but paused and hushed everyone. He looked at a glass full of water on the table. At first it had been motionless, but was now moving in sync with the footsteps of the enemy.

Harry preformed a spell and doused any remaining lights in the cabin. They went out the door one by one, hoping they hadn't been seen. Rion was the last one out and heard shouts nearby. "Let's look over there. I think I saw lights a minute ago."

Harry and the others quickly got away from the cabin and hid in the brush. They saw a large group of soldiers find the cabin. One of them kicked the door open and all of them quickly entered. They took everything of value and then made their way outside. One of the men lit a torch and tossed it inside. The building was in flames after a few minutes.

The flames illuminated the forest and Sirius motioned for everyone to move on before they were seen. Unfortunately, after they left their spots, one soldier glanced their way and saw them. The soldiers were yelling and screaming as they began to chase their enemy.

Sirius and the others ran as fast as they could. Wash was much older than the others and fell behind. His legs just wouldn't carry him and the soldier soon caught up with him. Harry was way ahead of Wash when they noticed he wasn't behind them. He signaled for Sirius, Rion, and Lilia to go ahead.

One soldier had caught up to Wash and had tackled him to the ground. He was about to run his sword through him, when Harry's blade met his. The two fought until two more of the soldier buddies showed up. Harry fought as hard as he could, and was able to take out two of them. The third one seemed to be an expert swordsman, but Harry was better. He eventually tripped the man up and finished him off. Harry went over to Wash to give him a hand up. As he did this a soldier quietly snuck up behind Harry. Wash was brought to his feet, just as the soldier had lifted his sword over Harry's head. Wash saw him and did the only thing he could. He grabbed Harry and swung him around, taking the blow of the man's sword.

Wash fell into Harry's arms uttering one last phrase, "Get Home Harry," before becoming lifeless. Harry looked at him horrified, then with anger. He let go of Wash and quickly attacked the soldier, taking his life in an instant. Suddenly more soldiers came into sight. Harry gave one last look at his friend before heading to the cave.

Rion, Lilia, and Sirius had reached the cave with few problems. Rion told Lilia to take Cory inside and ordered Sirius to protect them. Sirius was more powerful as a dog and quickly transformed and followed Lilia. Rion stayed outside to watch for Harry.

Inside, Cory had started crying. All of the loud noises scared her. She felt fear radiating from her mommy and daddy and uncle Sirius. She had lost sight of her other uncle and godfather, but felt pain and then nothing from one of them. She didn't know what to do.

Lilia held her in her arms and whispered comforting words. "Hush baby. Everything will be alright. Just think about something else. Something happy."

Cory tried to block out the sounds of yelling outside. She thought about the stories her daddy told her. The ones about a door opening up and taking them away to a new place.

Rion finally saw Harry and was about to ask about Wash when he saw Harry's bloodstained clothes. He felt a sudden loss, but pushed it aside as he and Harry went into the cave. Rion quickly lifted the wards and silently prayed they were strong enough. The two went to the back of the cave and huddled with the others. Everything was quiet for a while, but then voices were heard outside. None of the soldiers saw the cave, and started climbing over it.

Sirius saw dust and rocks crumbling from the ceiling. A huge bolder broke off and landed a few feet from Harry. The army was crossing over the cave and their weight was just too much. Lilia created a shield covering all of them, but didn't know how long she could hold it. The earth was shaking and the cave was coming to pieces.

Little Cory closed her eyes and kept wishing they were somewhere else. Out of no where a ghostly image of a door appeared. Rion saw it and tried to touch it, but his hand passed through it. He saw Cory with her eyes closed and read her mind. She was thinking of a door that could take them someplace safe. He pulled Lilia and Cory into his arms. He sent a mental message to Lilia and the two started helping Cory. They closed their eyes and imagined the same things as Cory.

Harry and Sirius watched as the door went from being transparent to becoming a physical object. Rion opened his eyes and holding Cory, grabbed the doorknob and turned it. A bright white light illuminated the cave. Lilia and Cory opened their eyes. Rion turned back to look at the others. More and more rocks were falling. A group of huge rocks fell onto the broken arch, destroying it.

Rion figured it was now or never, and stepped into the light with Cory. Lilia followed him, then Sirius, and finally Harry. They stepped into a world of only light. The light felt warm and safe as they walked farther and farther into it. Everything seemed to feel right until a cold wind blew against their skin and a dark opening appeared. The darkness took over everything in an instant, with only light surrounding Sirius, Harry, Rion, Lilia, and Cory. A new door appeared out of no where. It was black with a small glass window.

Rion stepped up to it and looked through the window. He saw a very familiar cave and a very familiar man being beaten up in the center by men in black cloaks. Rion grasped the knob and turned it. The light started growing and overtook the dark as the door opened. Rion held Cory tightly and stepped through.