Connor and the others walked through the night towards the mountains, accompanied by the Krel scouts. It was cold. Their feet were tired. THEY were tired. Connor kept glancing at the green light, which was starting to fade. It was now no bigger than the green light on a stop sign, but dimmer. He knew it would disappear soon.
"How much FURTHER ", Connor groaned, stopping to catch his breath and rubbing his sore legs.
"Cool your jets ",Emily said from beside him. It was a favorite expression of hers.
One of the Krels pointed towards the forest. "Just follow us closely. We Krels have excellent night vision. We're descended from Dwarves who worked the mines, remember? Their eyes naturally adapted to the dark. Just follow us closely, no matter what. We're almost to the mountains. "
The Krels started walking again. Connor and the others followed nervously. The Krels stepped into the forest and practically vanished. As soon as Connor stepped through, the world went almost pitch black. The tall trees and their voluminous branches and leaves, growing so close together, barely let in any light, except for a few spots here and there. Leaves crunched, twigs snapped, and birds chirped in the distance. Every few feet, somebody bumped into another or stepped on another's toes. As they walked deeper, they heard other sounds: growling and hissing, chirping and screeching. Now and then,they thought they saw the flash of red or yellow eyes in the dark. What kind of ANIMAL had those color eyes? They hoped they wouldn't find out...
Finally, they saw moonlight cut through the darkness up ahead. The Krels emerged first, signaling Connor and the others to hurry up. They didn't need urging. Quickly they dashed out of the eerie, pitch black woods, into the welcome light of night. They looked up. The mountains loomed just a few miles away. The glow had faded, but now they were exactly where it had appeared to have guided them. But where were the people that came through? Connor looked around. He couldn't see anybody...
"HEY!". The shout made them all jump. Quick as lightning, the Krels pulled out their spears and readied them. They looked up. On the foothills only a half mile away, at the start of the mountains, two figures stood up. Connor saw it was two kids their age. The first, a boy, waved to them. "Hey, wait there! We're coming down!".
A minute or two later the kids ran down. The boy was about Connor's height, with messy dark hair, and brown eyes with glasses. He introduced himself as Ross. The girl, named Brenda, was slightly taller. She appeared biracial, with brown skin, and dark hair tied behind her head in braids. They were both 12, same as most of the others.
"Listen, this is important: how did you get here?!", asked Ross. "Did you come through the forest? Brenda and i just literally woke up here. We were playing a card game, and next thing we knew, we were HERE! We ran up the hill when we heard strange noises from the woods. It was too dark to go in. As soon as we started to run, something ran out of the woods. We didn't get a good look at it, but it was HUGE! The size of a bear. We didn't stick around long enough to see what it was: we ran, all the way up there. When we turned back, it was gone. But we were so scared, we stayed up there till you guys got here. You guys and... wait, what are THOSE?", he said, getting a good look at the Krels for the first time. Their long,pointed pink ears. Their piglike snouts. Ross and Brenda stared at them, thunderstruck.
Connor sighed. "Look, this is going to be hard to believe, or even understand. But, did you happen to either read a book called Be Afraid, or play a card game by the same name?"
Ross gasped. "YES! I mean, i read the book, but i hated the ending, so i traded my neighbor, who i bought it from, for a deck of cards. The game was also called Be Afraid. How did you know?!"
Connor ignored his question. "What was your neighbors name?"
Ross looked even more confused. "Mr Wardiz. Why?"
Connor heard the others gasp. They all shared looks of shock and horror. It COULDN'T be a coincidence. Zarwid. Wardiz.
Brenda looked from Connor and his friends to the Krels, and back again. "Ok,guys, what's going on here? I'm really getting freaked out here!"
Connor turned to face them again. "Ok, see, that card game you guys played, that book, we got here the same way. We played the game, Be Afraid, after i stole it from my neighbor. HIS name was Mr ZARWID. " Ross and Brenda gasped. "YES, like Wardiz", he continued, before they could interrupt. "We later learned Zarwid was an anagram of Wizard. Since you read the book, you probably know everything that happed to us. I'm Connor, this is Emily and Kyle. And that's Mark and Amy. And THOSE" he pointed to them, "are Krel. They're friendly once you get to know them."
Ross and Brenda stared at them in classic shock: eyes wide, mouths open. After several tense seconds, Ross seemed to remember how to speak. "No. Way.", he gasped.
Mark sighed. "Believe me, i thought the same thing when me and Amy got here. To tell you the truth,part of me STILL doesn't believe it."
Ross and Brenda stared at them for almost another minute, trying to digest this. Ross even pinched himself several times to make sure he wasn't dreaming.
Finally, Ross shook his head as if trying to clear it. " This... this is all just too much. Too much. "
Brenda nodded. "We CAN'T be stuck here! We have family, friends. I was supposed to babysit for my neighbor this afternoon, and Ross had practice with his band! Are you guys seriously saying we'll NEVER see any of that ever again?!"
One of the Krels stepped forward. "Perhaps our Shaman can tell you. It was HE who sent us to find you. Please, come with us."
Ross and Brenda stared at the Krels again in shock. Brenda never having seen something so strange, Ross shocked that a monster from the book he'd despised just hours earlier was now speaking to him. But finally they sighed and started following. As they walked, Connor brought Ross up to speed on what had happened since he'd read the last chapter in this mysterious book on his and his friends journey in this strange world: The Griffin catching him, the Griffin and Krels calling him "majesty", the Krels taking them to their village. The Goth showing him the invisible Mark Of Kings on his arm. Emily told them about the Goth telling her she was a Sorceress and giving her the book, which she hadn't looked at since she'd put it in her pocket.
As they stepped into the dark woods, they all grew silent, listening to the strange sounds. Ross remembered the large creature that had jumped out as he and Brenda ran up the hill. He hadn't gotten a good look at it. Was it still in this forest, waiting to attack? All around them, they heard the sounds of the creatures: the birds chirping and cawing, pecking the wood of the trees. Other creatures growling and hissing. And like last time,flashes of strange, frightening eyes peering through the darkness, staring right at them, as if warning-or perhaps DARING-them to come closer. Frightened, the kids all huddled closer. Emily reached for Connor's hand in the dark. He took it nervously. They kept their eyes on the spot where the Krels walked, following the sound of their small boots through the damp forest floor. Nobody dared make a sound till they saw the light of the night sky shining through the gap of trees up ahead. They followed the Krels through and all breathed a sigh of relief as they looked up at the starry night sky.
"Man, that was TERRIFYING!", Brenda said. She looked around. "So where IS this village you mentioned, Connor?"
He pointed. "Just about an hour's walk from here. Come on. " He nodded to the Krels, and they started walking again.
Now that they were out of the forest and not as scared, the kids started talking freely, getting to know each other. Ross told them about his band he'd mentioned earlier. They were called Calling All Creeps, after a popular book, and practiced almost every day after school, and had been planning their first gig for the school talent show. Ross played lead guitar and was one of the two singers. The others told Ross and Brenda about themselves as well. Mark and Brenda ended up walking side by side and started talking.
"So Amy is your sister?". He nodded. "I have a little sister too", Brenda said. "I usually watch her when my mom and dad go out with friends, so that's why i started babysitting for the neighbors. I'm pretty good at it."
Mark laughed. " At least your sister didn't come here WITH you. Amy can be a pain. But I'll admit I'm also kinda glad. It's less frightening with somebody familiar here. This STILL feels like a dream. "
Brenda looked around. "I guess. Ever since i woke up here it's just felt... weird. I didn't even read that stupid book, but it's just CRAZY knowing YOU were in it, and Amy. Now I'm wondering if me and Ross are in the book, and somebody ELSE is reading it right now!"
Mark nodded. "I hadn't thought of that. That IS crazy! This whole THING is crazy. All I wanted was something fun to do over the summer. To think, if I'd kept working for my uncle in his shoe store, I wouldn't have had the time to read, and if I hadn't had time to read, i wouldn't be HERE!"
Up ahead, Ross was still talking about his band. "We mostly do covers right now. At practice last week we did a cover of Fall Down by Toad The Wet Sprocket, in front of a bunch of friends, and totally rocked the house, literally!"
"I LOVE that song!", Emily said. She gasped. "We're almost there.", she pointed as the clearing came into view. She could see the wooden fence and gate, the guards still standing in front. Seeing them coming, the guards motioned to the scouts and moved aside as the gate swung open from the other side.
Ross and Brenda looked around the village with the same shock and awe as Connor and the others had. "It's like some weird fantasy cosplay convention, but it's REAL", Ross muttered. Brenda elbowed him and held a finger to her lips. "Shhhh, they might hear you!", she whispered.
Like the first time, the Krels led the group to the shamans house. One held open the curtain and waved them in. Connor and his friends walked in first. Ross and Brenda followed. They were more nervous now than they were back in the forest.
When they walked in, the Goth was standing over one of the tables, mixing the vials of strange-colored liquids. One of the books lay open in front of him, and he seemed to be muttering a spell as he worked. He didn't look up as they entered, not even when both Ross and Brenda uttered shocked cries upon seeing him. He kept working as he turned to adress them.
"So you found them, did you? I KNEW you would", he said as he grabbed what looked like dried purple leaves, crumpled them up and added them to a steaming flask on the table.
Connor watched, interested. "Um... you FORESAW us finding them?"
The Goth smiled his creepy smile. "Indeed. As soon as you left I consulted the Fates, the stars. They showed me..." He trailed off as he poured the contents of a vial of liquid into the flask. A thick dark liquid. Connor's stomach lurched as he saw for the first time the headless body of a chicken or some other bird on the table, blood and feathers everywhere. The color of the steam took on a dark red as he added the blood. Connor heard the girls gag behind him.
Feeling nauseaus himself, Connor prompted the shaman. "Uh... What did they SHOW you?', he asked.
The Goth smiled mysteriously. "What I suspected, of course: That THESE two", he pointed at Ross and Brenda, " will have roles to play, same as the rest of you."
Brenda gasped. "But... we don't even know where we ARE!", she exclaimed. "All THESE guys have told us", she gestured at Connor and the others"', is that we're in the world of some card game my friend here read about in some book!"
"Ah yes. The cards." The Goth chuckled as he continued tinkering with the vials. He dropped what looked like a couple of pearls into the flask. The steam turned from red to a pale lavender color. "Yes. Tell me, what cards did YOU two draw?"
"WHAT?! What does THAT have to do with anything?!", Ross asked incredulously.
"Perhaps nothing, Perhaps EVERYTHING", the Goth said. He poured the contents of the flask into vials on a tray. The liquid appeared grey, but shimmered continously with all different colors, like a rainbow in dirty water. The Goth turned to them as he continued pouring. "Yes, nothing or everything. After all, Connor here drew a King card, and he indeed has the Mark Of Kings on his arm. And young, lovely Emily here drew a Goth card, as in MY people, and she indeed has hidden magic. So, maybe the Fates decided to gift YOU two similarly, once you entered our world. So, tell me. " He finished pouring the strange liquid, and set the empty flask down.
"Well, um..." Ross thought back. He remembered setting up the cards at his house, Brenda sitting next to him. He tried to remember. Suddenly, the memory struck him. "A Bard! Yes, I remember seeing it while I was looking over the cards. I chose it BEFORE I sorted the others. I knew a Bard was a singer and poet in medieval times, and I'm in a band, so I wanted to be the Bard."
The Goth nodded. "Indeed. Bards are also known as the voice of the common folk, and inspire them to fight danger and oppression. Very good. And you?", he turned to Brenda.
"I...uhhh," she struggled to remember. She hadn't even WANTED to play that lame card game. She had told him she couldn't play long anyway, as she had to go next door to babysit for her neighbors. In a rush she had picked a card off the top of the deck. She had barely glanced at it before Ross had picked his Bard card and set it down, then next thing she knew they were HERE. She thought, struggling desperately to remember the name, the image on the card...
Suddenly, she remembered. At least, the picture. "It... was like a ghost. But like a shadow, with a robe. It was black, with red eyes, and it had a strange glow around it, and..."
"Ah, yes. A Reacher. These rarely-seen creatures, it is said, are linked to all dimensions, including the spirit world, and can pull spirits from the afterlife, or demons from the underworld. They can simply reach into any world, hence their name. As they are born from shadows, they can also reach into other shadows, human or structure cast, and control or warp them. If you drew a Reacher card, you are perhaps destined to be very powerful... and very dangerous."
"But... but i don't even BELIEVE in magic, or the supernatural, or DEMONS! Well, i mean, until TODAY. But surely, if i had magic, I'd KNOW, wouldn't I?!", Brenda said incredulously.
The Goth smiled his mysterious smile again. "I'm afraid you'll just have to wait for your powers to show themselves at the right time. The MAGIC chooses when to helps its wielder, not the other way around."
Brenda opened and closed her mouth several times, as if trying the right words before saying them. Finally she asked. "Does this... does this mean I'm going to BECOME one of those...things?"
The Goth shook his head. "I already explained to your friends that i doubt the card will affect any of you PHYSICALLY, just the roles you play. Connor is a rare exception, having the Mark Of Kings AFTER drawing the King card. Emily here HAD a Goth card, but as you can see she's still beautiful and radiant, but i DO sense she has the POWER of a Sorceress. No, i don't think you're going to be a Reacher PHYSICALLY, just perhaps the POWER of one. Since Reachers are Summoners, having a Summoner in your party will undoubtedly help immensely." He turned to Mark and Amy. "Ah. If ONLY we knew what cards YOU TWO had. I sense no magic. I see no markings of royalty or destiny or anything. Such a mystery. "
Mark sighed. "I wish we knew. I didn't even really look at the cards. I let Amy go first, but the second she put hers down..."
"Boom, we were here!", Amy finished. "I didn't get a good look at mine either. But i don't FEEL any different, like i don't think i have magic, or super hearing, and I'm pretty sure i can't fly. I wish I'd seen my card, so you could tell us. "
"Speaking of the cards, something I've been wondering", Emily said. "When we were playing, i started off as a Goth, like i said earlier, but on one of my turns i got a Switch card, and drew a dragon. What does that MEAN? I mean, it doesn't mean i have the power to turn INTO a dragon, does it?"
"I really doubt that", the Goth said. "Unfortunately, i can't tell you what it DOES or MIGHT mean. Only after unlocking your powers, and learning for YOURSELF what you can do, may you find out. But often, the searching is more important, and more satisfying, than the answers."
Emily was about to say something else, but Kyle interrupted. " What about ME? I had a Krel card, but obviously I'm no Krel!"
"Again, I'm afraid i don't know what that might mean. Even i don't know, any more than YOU do, how the creatures from this world came to be on the cards in your world, or how YOU all came to be in a book. As for this Zarwid person, or why he looks like the Wizard card, again I have no idea. I don't know how to send you home, or where you should go next. It might just be that you'll have to stay here, and..."
But he was cut off at the sound of a loud CRASH outside, and the sounds of screams. They heard the Krels shouting, and the sounds of metal against metal.
A Krel ran into the room. "Lord Shaman, we're under attack! Come quick!"
The Goth gasped. "Sooner than I expected. I had a feeling something was coming, that's why I made potions. But..." He closed his strange eyes. "No. I sense nothing. They must have magic on THEIR side too, strong enough to see past my glamour over this camp,and strong enough to cloak their attack." He opened his eyes. "In that case, it must be one of the Dark Lords!"
The Krel nodded. "I believe so too, Lord Shaman. They have elemental weapons, and some beasts. One of them knocked down the gate! Should i order them to stand guard while you try a warding or protection spell?"
The Goth shook his head. "No. I need to see these attackers with my own eyes. Here,take these", he handed the tray with the vials of the potion he had made to the Krel, "and pass them out to as many as you can." The Krel nodded. "At once, Lord Shaman!" He ran out of the room with the tray in hand. The Goth turned to the kids.
"You should come too, you're safer out HERE with me and the Krels. Safety in numbers. Just stay close, no matter what happens. "
They ran out of the house, and saw who was attacking the village: Knights, dressed head to toe in armor. But these were different from the knights who had attacked the Jekel village on dragons. Their armor was different: black, their helmets pointed, almost like a bird of prey, with horns on top. Their shoulders also had spikes. Some carried swords, others maces or axes. All their weapons, however, either burned with fire or crackled with electricity, or rather lightning. On their breastplates, and on the shields of some was a symbol. It looked like a multi-pointed star, but the points were made up of terrible things: swords, snake heads, bones.
The Krels were rushing forward to engage the knights. Despite their short size, they were fast and strong, holding firm as they blocked the knights attacks, their own attacks staggering their foes. The air was filled with the sound of metal against metal, and the shouts of the Krels as they fought the silent knights. They saw up ahead some of the beasts the Krel had mentioned: giant, hairy beasts the size of elephants, with doglike faces, droopy ears, long, snakelike furry tails, and curved horns on their heads. The giant creatures ran through the village as their masters fought the Krels, smashing the stalls, running through the fields and tearing up the crops, spraying dirt and vegetables everywhere. One of them, with two of the knights, was attacking a house, ramming it with his horns while the knights hacked at it.
"What are you going to do?!", Connor asked over the cacophony of clanging weapons, yells and animal howls. To his surprise, the Goth appeared calm.
"Never fear. The houses here are made of stumis, one of the strongest materials. It can't be broken or burned. And those potions I made... just watch." He cupped his hands and shouted. "NOW!"
On cue, the Krels threw the vials in their hands. With a shattering of glass, a thick, grayish smoke escaped, as if they had tossed smoke bombs. As the smoke drifted up and over the village, the Knights froze, looking around in confusion. To Connor's surprise, one Knights walked right past the Krel he had been fighting seconds before, as if he couldn't see him! Another Knight, who had walked through the strange smoke, emerged and attacked another Knight!
The giant, doglike beasts were not unaffected: when the smoke reached the one headbutting the house, he ceased his assault, and turned to the Knights beside him. With a furious growl, he swiped his giant paws and knocked them flying through the air and into the field, which was still under attack. The beast then turned to face another of his kind, and the two charged each other and started fighting: headbutting, clawing, biting.
The kids stared in shock at this turn of events. "What kind of potion WAS that?!", Emily asked.
The Goth chuckled. "Basically it confuses the enemy. Makes them attack anything they see, even their allies, and sometimes miss the REAL enemy even if he's in front of them. Works on animals too, as you can see. But the range is limited: i only had time to make one batch, and the affects only travel as far as the smoke."
They looked around. The smoke of the potions had only worked on THIS side of the village. Behind them, and off to their side, in the field, the fighting still went on. Connor saw several Krel lying facedown, not moving. Unconscious or dead he couldn't tell. However he couldn't see any Knights the same way. On the contrary, he saw the Krels stabbing the Knights with swords, axes, pitchforks, and pelt them with stones from slinghshots, but they kept coming. Like they didn't even FEEL their wounds. And no blood. No blood...
The Goth turned to them. They could tell he noticed something was wrong too. "This is bad. I have to consult my spellbooks. Surely there must be one i can use to..."
He was cut off as several things happened at once: there was a loud clap like thunder as one of the Knights unleashed a streak of lightning with his sword. The bolt hit several Krels, and they dropped to the ground, bodies smoking. The Goth turned and cried out, starting to rush forward. Just then, the two fighting beasts rolled over the ground, still fighting furiously. The kids turned just in time to see the fighting monsters rolling towards them. Connor and the other charged quickly. Everyone made it out of the way but Ross, who tripped and fell to the ground, and one of the thrashing beasts rolled over his leg. They heard the crack of bones over all the other sounds in the village. Ross screamed in pain as the monster rolled off him.
But the damage wasn't over yet: as they rolled off Ross, one of them kicked out. Its legs caught the Goth, who had been standing deep in meditation, trying to work up a spell to help the Krels, in the head. He staggered,and fell to the ground.
Connor and the others rushed forward. While Connor and Kyle helped pick up Ross, who was half unconscious from the pain, the others ran to check on the Goth, lying facedown in the mud. Mark shook him urgently, try to rouse him. "Come on, wake up, please!", Emily pleaded.
Meanwhile, Connor and Kyle tried to bring Roos to, while Brenda checked out his leg. It was already turning an ugly shade of black or purple, and it seemed to bend several ways at once. Her mother was a doctor, and she had read several of her medical books, so she knew how to spot a broken leg.
Ross groaned again. The friends brought him into the Goths house and set him down on the floor. Brenda turned to them. "You shouldn't move him too much, his leg is broken in several places. Isn't that Goth thing a sorceror? Maybe he can help him."
Emily walked in, frowning. "He's out cold right now. He can't help anybody. What are we going to do?"
Just then there was another loud ZAP of electricity as the Knights unleashed their energy weapons. More shouts of terror. And then...
"HELP! NO, LET GO!"
They rushed out. Several Knights surrounded Mark and Amy. The Knights had them backed up against the wall of a house. The unconscious form of the Goth lay by their feet. The silent Knights approached slowly, menacingly, weapons raised. The axe of one burned with fire, the other crackled with electricity. Connor saw that the Knights affected by the potion, who had been attacking their comrades earlier, appeared to be back to normal. Even the two beasts who had been fighting earlier had ceased, and were once again attacking houses, Krels, and livestock. It seemed that the potion had either worn off, or, with the Goth knocked out, had lost its effect. Perhaps the Goth had to be awake and focusing for it to work?
"GET AWAY FROM HER!", Mark shouted. He grabbed a gardening tool laying on the ground and swung it at the advancing Knights. But the dark armored, silent soldiers kept advancing, not even flinching or backing away as Mark swung the weapon. With a final, desperate swing, he hit one of the Knights in the head, and his helmet flew off, clattering to the ground.
Connor gasped, and he heard Amy scream. The others uttered short gasps as they saw the face beneath the armor. The man's flesh was gray and sunken, some of it completely missing, exposing the bone beneath. His hair was receding, his bare scalp showing in places. His eyes were milky white, and his mouth was open in a blank sneer, showing yellow, rotted teeth, some missing. He was... he was a...
"ZOMBIE!", cried Kyle. "They're all zombies! Undead soldiers! So THAT'S why they can't be hurt. They can't feel anything, and can't be killed except by really POWERFUL magic!"
"Like the Goth, but he's..." Connor looked at the sorceror, still laying on the ground. Connor HOPED he was only knocked out.
Pushing Amy back, Mark swung the tool again, aiming for the zombified Knight's exposed head, but this time the undead soldier was ready, and blocked it with his sword. There was a loud clang as metal met metal,and an even louder CRACKLE as the sword sent an electrical shock that traveled through the gardening tool, with enough force to break it in two,and sent Mark frying off his feet into his sister, knocking them both to the ground. Amy sat up, looking in horror as the Knights surrounded them, blocking off any escape, but Mark lay motionless. Amy shook him,trying to rouse him, but he lay still. "Mark! MARK,WAKE UP! PLEASE!"
There was the sound of footsteps behind Connor and the others. They turned,and Connor felt his heart plummet. They'd been so distracted by Mark and Amy's predicament, and the revelation of the Knight's as undead, that they hadn't paid attention to what was BEHIND them. Now they saw more Knights closing in on them. From behind. From the sides. From in front. Surrounded. Completely surrounded.
They looked at each other in fear. Was this it? Was this really how it would end? Struck down by evil,rotting zombies with magical weapons? Or worse taken to some dark castle dungeon and tortured? Never finding the answers to their questions? Never finding a way back home? Never seeing their families or friends again?
Suddenly, Emily felt something strange. A strange tingling rushing through her, starting in her fingertips, the way you feel when your foot or hands fall asleep. It spread through her body. She also felt a strange adrenaline, a rush of power run through her, replacing her fear. Her heart beat faster,but not from fear. This strange new sense filled her body, overwhelmed her senses. It was like new blood pumping through her body. Without realizing it, she walked forward,TOWARDS the Knights. She heard her friends gasp behind her. The remaining Krels stopped running and fighting and stared. She looked down and saw her hands...glowing? Shining with a blinding white light.
Suddenly she remembered what the Goth had said: her magic would show ITSELF at the right time and place. Surely NOW was the right time, surrounded by enemies on all sides? But what WAS this strange new power coming from her hands? And how could she USE it?
She didn't have much time to think. The Knight without a helmet charged forward, sword held high. Emily stepped back, held up her hands to defend herself... and a beam of the white light shot out like the beam of a super power flashlight, striking the Knight in his armored chest, the light illuminating his decaying, skeletal face. She might have been hearing things, but she thought she heard him give a raspy gasp as the light hit him. As she watched, his body began to smoke. No, not smoke: it looked like a black cloud appeared to roll out of the dark armor, seeping out of the corpse and burning away in the light. As the dark substance burned away, his face became even more skeletal, the skin wasting away completely, his white eyes vanishing, leaving empty sockets. Next second he was just a skull, which soon cracked and crumpled into ash. A second later the dark armor collapsed to the ground: breastplate, gauntlets, boots, all fell to the ground. Empty. The zombie Knight was gone. Wasted away. Turned to bones and ash.
Emily looked from the pile of empty armor to her glowing hands in shock. Was THIS it? Was THIS the magic she had been bestowed with upon coming here? The power to figh dark magic with light? What ELSE could she do? More importantly, could she destroy the REST of the Knights before they retaliated?
She turned back to the remaining Knights, some who were standing and looking at the remains of their fallen comrade, as if uncertain what to do, the others who were marching toward her. Emily raised her hands and focused, willing the light to shoot forth again. Just when the marching Knights were a few feet away, the beam shot out again, this time further, wider. When it hit the Knights in front, it appeared to ricochet, sending other smaller beams to strike Knights behind, on the side. Like sunlight or a flashlight hitting a mirror or reflective surface. As she watched, the darkness spilled out of their bodies and burned away. This time she thought she heard a sizzling sound as the dark substance burned away in the blinding light. In seconds, the Knight's empty armor collapsed to the ground, ashes spilling out, their weapons falling to the ground beside them, the flames and lighting flickering out.
Breathing heavily, Emily spun around. To her surprise, the Knights behind her had also been reduced to armor and ashes. The spell must have also been bounced in the opposite direction. She saw her friends staring at her, mouths open in shock. She took another deep breath and looked at her hands. Normal. The glowing light was gone. Did that mean they were out of danger? Were all the Knights gone? What about...
She spun back around. The giant, horned, doglike beasts looked at the smoking remains of the Knights armor, then directly at Emily. They lowered their shaggy heads in fear, backed up, and ran to the entrance of the village, over the broken gate doors, and out into the darkness of the night. Gone.
After a few moments, Emily turned back to her friends, who were still looking at her in surprise. She walked up to them. "You guys ok?", she asked.
They looked at each other, then nodded. "Emily, that... that was AMAZING!", Connor cried. "Totally awesome! You really ARE a sorceress!"
She looked at the remains of one of the zombie Knights. "Yeah, i guess i am. I STILL don't understand WHAT i did, or HOW i did it. It just HAPPENED, like the Goth said. "
"Speaking OF the Goth", Kyle said, pointing behind them. They turned. The Goth was finally stirring, trying to sit up as he regained consciousness.
They ran over to him. Kyle placed a hand under him, helping him sit up. "You ok?", he asked.
The Goth groaned. He rubbed his bald, horned head. "Yes. I believe so. What happened?"
Before they could reply, Amy called out. "Guys! Please HELP!" They turned. She still lay on the ground by her brother, shaking him, trying to rouse him. "Please help him! He's not breathing! MARK, PLEASE!". She started crying.
They ran over and knelt down. Amy sobbed. "After he got shocked by that sword,he hasn't moved. I... can feel a heartbeat, but barely, and he's not breathing. Please, please help. Emily, try your light. Maybe if it can kill zombies, maybe it can help Mark!"
Emily shook her head. " I can't. I don't know HOW to activate it, it just happened on its own. I don't know how to control it yet." She looked at her hands, concentrating, willing the mysterious white light to shine forth. Nothing. She closed her eyes, praying ,begging whatever strange power had helped her earlier to reappear, to help the dying boy in front of her. She opened her eyes. Nothing. Just her normal, boring hands. She sighed. "I'm sorry, Amy. It's not working."
Amy cried harder and shook her brother. "Mark! MARK, PLEASE! COME BACK! WAKE UP, PLEASE!"
Kyle hung his head. "This is bad, man." He turned to the Goth. "Can you help?"
He shook his head. "Not really. The only spells and potions i got are for protection or combat. I CAN make potions for many different illnesses, but your friend seemed perfectly healthy till just now. If he dies, i COULD find a necromancy spell, but he wouldn't be the same. Not much different than those damned Knights. " He hung his head. "Sorry. I realize that wasn't much consolation. "
"Hey! What's going on?", came a voice from behind them. Brenda came walking up. " After Emily destroyed the Knights, i went back to check on Ross. He's still in shock,but he's coming around. What are you guys..." She trailed off as she saw Mark on the ground, the others gathered around him.
"He's not breathing, and none of us know how to help him.", Emily told her.
Brenda knelt down. "Ok, let me try something. My mom's a doctor,and taught me a few things in case something happened. We have a CPR dummy at home, she makes me and my sister practice occasionally. Stand back!". Everybody stood up and moved back except Amy, who still stood by his side. Brenda turned to her.
"Ok ,just grab his shoulders. Hold tight. Watch what i do." Amy nodded and grabbed her brother's shoulders. Brenda placed her hands on his chest and started pushing gently but firmly in rhythm. Once. Twice. Three times. Paused. Again. Same rhythm. Paused. Then again, same motion,but faster. She lowered her head onto his chest. She looked up at Amy. "It's working, his heart is beating faster, but i still don't hear him breathing. I'm going to try something else my mom showed me. Just keep holding him. "
Amy nodded. "Ok. Hurry!"
Brenda moved closer, and to Amy's surprise opened his mouth and leaned down, placing her lips over his, as if kissing him, at the same time pushing on his chest.
Suddenly, Mark's eyes opened and he stirred. Brenda jumped back as he sat up, coughing and breathing heavily. Amy threw her arms over him as he continued coughing. He sat on the grass as he struggled to regain normal breathing. Amy kept hold of him, crying hysterically.
"Oh Mark,Mark! I was so worried! I thought you were gone! I love you, big brother! You're annoying and mean, but i love you SO MUCH!"
Mark shrugged her off. "Yeah yeah. Thanks. I...I love you too, sis. I'm ok. I think. I was scared. I... I heard everything that was happening, but couldn't wake up. It's like i was underwater, sinking. The sounds kept getting dimmer, my body number. I was almost a goner. If... if you hadn't..." He turned to Brenda. "If you hadn't kissed me, I probably would have died."
Brenda laughed. "That wasn't a KISS! It's called CPR! My mom works in a hospital. ALL doctors have to know that stuff! Lifeguards too! My mom teaches me and my sister in case something happens to one of us, or her or dad,or any friends. She thinks ALL our family need to know. For once, it paid off!"
Mark smiled. "Well... I'm glad she taught you then. Thank you. "
Brenda smiled back but turned away. Mark was pretty sure she was blushing as hard as he was. He stood up weakly. His legs still felt numb. Amy threw her arms around him again. "I'm so glad you're ok, Mark! I'm sorry for being such an annoying little sister. I love you!"
Mark gently pushed her off. "Let go, Amy. You're embarrassing me. " He looked around. "So, what happened? Did we...win?"
Connor nodded. "Thanks to Emily. She finally unlocked her magic. Destroyed them all. Saved everyone. "
"Not everyone", came a voice from behind them. They turned around. They hadn't heard the crowd of Krels assemble behind them. Connor counted at least 15 or 16. "We lost many Krels", said the Krel chief. "We must bury them. We also lost a good portion of our crops, and they destroyed many of our weapons and supplies. It will take us many months to rebuild."
The Goth sighed. "Indeed. But if they could see past the glamour and break down the gates, they can certainly do it again, and NEXT time will be greater numbers." He walked over and picked up one of the Knights shields, studying the symbol. "Yes. As I feared."
"What? What is that?", Connor asked.
The Goth showed them the shield,the strange symbol. "This is the symbol of the Dark Lord Alliance. They used to be at war, sending their zombies and demons and beasts to attack each other, but only about a year ago, they formed an alliance, pooled their resources and magic and minions. Now they work together. As one, they are more dangerous than Jekels or Stelks,than the angriest Mord,even more so than the bandits in the forest,than one of the tyrannical kings the common folk so fear. You saw only a TASTE of their power. "
"It's ok, Emily totally kicked their butts!", Amy said.
"I don't understand HOW i did it,or even WHAT I did!", Emily cried. She quickly explained to the Goth what had happened. About the bright light, and how the Knights had turned to ash when it had touched them.
The Goth listened quietly, and nodded as she spoke. When she was finished he nodded again. "Yes. That was a light spell. Holy magic. It's one of the best weapons against dark magic. Remember the darkness being pulled out and burning up? Holy magic removes dark magic. What you saw was your magic destroying the spells that brought the Knights to life. However what you did was very ADVANCED magic. Doing it without proper training, without ever having used magic before, is a very rare thing, almost unheard of. You must be destined for great things indeed, young Emily. "
Emily gasped, and seemed to stagger on the spot. She put a hand to her head. "I... I don't feel so good. I need to sit down."
The Goth nodded. "Yes. First time magic takes a lot out of a person. Come to my place. We need to check on your friend Ross. I don't know what I can do, but we'll see. Follow me. "
They started to follow. Emily staggered again, and Connor reached out to steady her. "You ok?",he asked.
She leaned onto him. She shook her head as if trying to clear it. "I guess. I just feel very tired. And scared. I've never done anything like that. It's weird. When I did that... used my magic, I felt... I don't know, it felt great. AWESOME. But after, I just felt strange. Empty. Like doing it took something FROM me. Like, I'm confused. It's like waking up and forgetting where I am. It's hard to explain. When the magic went away I felt numb, tingly. I really need to sit down. "
Connor nodded. "I think we ALL need to rest. I don't know if it's night or morning here. But I know we haven't slept since before we GOT here. I hope the Goth or one of the Krels will let us stay. " He smiled. "But you WERE awesome back there, Emily. I gotta say, you were like one of those action babes in a movie. That was awesome. Kinda sexy. "
She smiled. "You just want to kiss me again. "
He smiled back. "Is it working?".
She laughed, despite her fatigue and dizziness. "Well... It's not NOT working. "
She leaned forward, and they shared a kiss, longer than the one at the cliff. This time they both enjoyed it, as this one was expected and invited. Connor felt his feelings for Emily over the summer come rushing through him. All those weeks wishing he could tell her how he felt. All those moments he'd spent lusting over her. Admiring everything about her. Her beauty. Her long brown hair with blonde streaks. Her light blue eyes. Her cute laugh. Emily felt herself wondering why SHE had never realized, or acknowledged, her feelings for HIM. How could she have been so blind? She had to admit, kissing him made her feel a BIT better. She was still extremely weak and dizzy, but this moment took her mind partly off of it.
They finally pulled apart, and she smiled playfully. "Ok, now that's IT till we get home, ok? I mean it this time."
Connor laughed. "Ok. But you can't revoke holding hands. You said that was ok back at the cliff."
She laughed. "What have I gotten myself into?". But she took his hand and the two started walking again until they reached the Goths house and walked in. Emily eagerly took a chair at one of the tables, ignoring the strange spells and potion ingredients. The incense burning on the table helped her relax a bit. She watched as the others went up to Ross, who sat on the floor, holding his leg. He glared at the others as they stood around him.
"Took you guys long enough", he snapped. "Is it over? Are the Knights gone?"
Brenda nodded. "Yes. Emily took care of them. She really CAN do magic!"
Ross nodded. "Well, i guess it's safe now. But it hurts to move. I don't think i can walk."
Brenda nodded again. " Yes. I think your leg is broken. Several places. I saw it earlier. " She turned to the Goth. "What can you do?"
The Goth sighed. "Best i can do right now is whip up something for pain. The Krels can make a cast and a crutch. " He whistled, and a Krel appeared at the door. "This kid needs bandages for his leg, and see if you can fashion a brace, and a pair of crutches. I'll make something to stop his pain."
The Krel nodded. "As you wish, Lord Shaman. " He ran off, and the Goth got busy at his table. They watched as he ground up plants and strange roots and mixed them in a bowl, and Emily fought not to gag as he pulled out what looked like a couple fat, purple maggots from a jar and ground them up too, adding them to the bowl. Last he poured a vial of strange yellow liquid, which smelled like sulphur, into the bowl and stirred it. He picked it up and brought it over, holding it out to Ross. "Drink", he said.
Everybody gagged. Ross's faced turned practically green with disgust. "No way!", he cried. "I saw you put bugs in it!"
The Goth didn't move. "It's the strongest pain medicine i can make. DRINK", he insisted.
Ross shook his head. "I'm fine. It's not hurting so bad anymore. " But everybody could tell he was lying. His face was twisted in pain, and he was practically sweating with the effort not to pass out. He groaned again, breathing heavily. After a moment, he growled and grabbed the bowl, raising it to his lips, and began drinking the contents. His face twisted with disgust, but he kept drinking until the bowl was empty, and handed it back to the Goth. He gagged and coughed, struggling not to retch. "God, that's nastier than cough syrup!". Brenda laughed.
The Goth smiled. "But it's working,right?"
Ross gagged again, but stopped and grabbed his leg. "Well... yeah, a bit. Yeah, it only aches a little bit now. Wow,that stuff works FAST!"
The Goth returned the bowl to the table. "Once the Krels put the brace on to straighten the bones, hopefully you'll be better in a few weeks. I unfortunately have no spells to mend bones. We must do it the old-fashioned way. But I'm afraid you children must soon be on your way. While i was unconscious, i saw a vision of where you must go. "
"Wait, WHAT?!", Ross cried. "You mean, we can't STAY here until you find a way to get us home?!"
The Goth shook his head. "I'm afraid not. First of all, i lack the power to send you back. I know of no spell for interdimensional travel. Second, if the Fates showed me your next destination, that's where you have to go. Perhaps THAT'S how you will get home. "
"But we don't even know WHERE we are!", Connor cried. "We know NOTHING about this place. We don't know the NAME of this world. We don't know how you know English, the language of OUR world. We don't know why it's always night here. We don't know why there's wizards in our world, or why they all look like the wizard card, or why we appeared in a book. We know NOTHING! And you have TOLD us nothing!". All of Connors frustration, anger and fear and confusion over the past hours, or perhaps days, came spilling out of him. He knew it wouldn't help,but he felt better saying it.
The Goth sighed. "I might as well tell you what I can. It probably won't help much, but it can't hurt. The name of this world, well, it was lost long ago, when the wars started. This part of the world we're in is simply known as the Dark Lands. As for why it's always dark, well, that's WHY it's called the Dark Lands. The sun never rises in these parts. The further you go in the Dark Lands, the darker and colder it gets. If you head further into the mountains, it's practically ice. You won't reach sun for almost a week from here. Luckily, that's exactly where you MUST go,to the Bright Lands. My vision showed me you traveling to the Bright Lands. If I am correct, there is a tower there. Some call it the Burning Tower, because it's made of a strange, gold-like metal, and when the sun hits it it looks like it's on fire. You must find this tower. But beware: you must pass through the Dark Lands, and there are many dangerous creatures, and bandits around, and more than one Dark Lord has territories in these parts. Some lands are said to be haunted. If you're lucky, one of the Kings or stewards in those territories may help. But for now, get some rest. I'll have my best Krel scouts make a map of the trail you must follow. I'll even have one accompany you as far as he can go. But for now,you should all get some sleep. "
The kids stared in shock at the Goth. So many questions tumbled through their minds. Each had so many questions he or she wanted to ask. But before they could, the Krels came through with supplies for Ross. After one bandaged his leg,another put a steel brace around it,securing it tight. They told him the bandage was actually a magical gauze,and would supply heat to his injured leg to help the pain and swelling. Last they handed him a pair of freshly made wooden crutches. Ross stood up and took a few steps. It hurt slightly, but the brace and crutches helped,and the heat from the bandage DID feel good. "Thanks", he said. The Krels nodded and motioned them to follow.
Within moments the Krels showed them a couple of empty houses. They decided to split up: Emily, Amy and Brenda in one house, Connor, Kyle, Mark and Ross in another. Since the Krel beds were rather small, and looked uncomfortable to boot, they made do with sleeping on the floor. The Krels bought them blankets and pillows. Both were rather rough, as they obviously weren't made for humans, but nonetheless the kids all fell asleep almost as soon as they covered up and lay down, still confused and frightened by their situation, but thankful to finally be getting some rest. Little did they know that their terrifying and dangerous journey was just starting...
