by Wendy Owens
The goblins were too hungry for Uri’s flesh to resist the fight any longer. Seeing their opportunity after Uri was injured, the three moved in for their attack. Sensing the blade as it sliced through the air, Uri fell to the ground under its reach. In only a moment, he was back on his feet; it was as though his injury did not faze him. The goblins growled with fury at the failed attempt.
“He’s mine!” the bajang shouted furiously at the goblins. They hissed and howled in contempt at the command, but it was clear who ranked higher as the threesome backed away. Their attention was quickly refocused on a group of freshman guardians that were fleeing.
“Run!” Uri bellowed as he saw the beings give chase, unable to shift his attention away from the bajang.
“Are you ready to die, Guardian?” the creature proposed.
“Not today. But you’re about to meet the end,” Uri replied, his arm finally beginning to sting from the scratch.
“The Guardian is going to die, he’s going to die— yesss— he’s going to die,” the cambions taunted from behind the bajang.
“Will you shut up already!” Uri shouted back as he dodged another attempt from the bajang. “If anyone wanted your opinion, they would ask.”
The cambions cry reached a feverish pitch in response to Uri’s words. The bajang didn’t hesitate to move in, piercing Uri’s side with its claws. The shallow wound was not life threatening but painful enough.
“Damn it!” Uri growled, climbing back to his feet.
“What’s wrong? Not up for the challenge? What a disappointment you are. I’ve heard all these stories about what great warriors Guardians are. I must have run into the underachiever,” the bajang laughed.
Ignoring his words, Uri looked at the cluster of cambions. Without hesitation, he stood tall, paying no attention to the pain from his arm and side. He placed his hands into a circular shape, thrusting forward. With a mighty jolt, Uri shouted, “In ignem.” His voice echoed as a fireball shot from his hands, engulfing the cluster of cambions.
Their flesh consumed with the flames of his mighty spell, the cambions cried out in horror before they disappeared in a cloud of dust. Weakened by the powerful spell, Uri fell to the ground heaving in pain. Seeing its opportunity, the alp attempted to penetrate Uri’s thoughts, and with great success. As hard as he fought, he could not avoid the images that invaded his mind. The alp showed him glimpses of Hell, of all the souls Uri had failed to save. He could feel them clawing at him, trying to pull him under into the unearthly abyss. The terror and overwhelming heartbreak he felt made him want to give into the mobs desire to consume him. In his state, he did not see that the bajang was coming in for the final blow.
The bajang leapt on to Uri’s chest, violently striking him. It wasted no time sinking it’s fangs into Uri’s throat; it drank a deep and satisfying gulp of the hero’s blood.
The bajang released his bite for only a moment, throwing back his head and preparing himself for the final draining blow. Uri, still lost in his hallucinations, did nothing to defend himself. The bajang swooped down, and just as his fangs were about to pierce a fresh piece of flesh, its head was removed from its shoulders, courtesy of a mighty swing of Haim’s hammer. Haim then thrust the same, blood-drenched weapon into the air, rocketing towards the alp. Though it missed, the near contact sent the alp fleeing towards the next helpless victim.
“Uri!” Haim shouted, shaking his friend who was still consumed by the lingering horrific visions. “Can you hear me?”
“Haim?” Uri coughed. “Is that you?”
“Man, we got to get out of here! The hydra is burning everything in sight and nothing we throw at it is working. We’re too outnumbered,” Haim explained.
Uri realized his friend was right; there was no way this was a fight they were going to win. “Help me up.”
Haim did as his friend requested. Dodging attacks, the pair made their way back to the temporary safety of one of the nearby stone structures.
“Now what?” Haim asked, ready to follow whatever his trusted comrade suggested.
“Now, you get out of here,” Uri commanded.
“What?” he asked confused.
“We’ve lost this battle. Go help Dina get as many out as she can,” Uri answered.
“What are you going to do?” Haim asked, not pleased with his orders.
“I promise, I’m not far behind. That hydra is moving in towards Michael’s office, I just need to make sure Bishop and Raimie get out of there, and then I will follow. Be sure everyone is using different escape paths. The trackers will be looking for our trails and trying to follow us. No one goes directly to any of the manors. Follow protocol and after the danger passes, we’ll meet up at Iron Gate.”
“I don’t know, Uri,” Haim hesitated. “Are you sure you’re okay to be by yourself?”
“I’m fine, damn it!” Uri shouted. “Dina and Sophie need you, now go!”
Haim still stared at him, unconvinced.
Uri gripped his friend’s shoulders firmly, “I’ll see you again, my friend. I promise.”
Haim nodded and turned to do as he was told. Uri watched for a moment, not only to ensure his friend was safe, but also to gather his composure. He only had a moment before he saw the spray of the hydra’s fire breathing head come closer. Pushing off the shattered stone wall, Uri began to move as quickly as his battered body would allow him to. Every inch of his battle torn flesh was screaming out in pain with each step. I’ll get to Raimie and Bishop, and that will be the end of it.
The home he had loved, the place that had answered all the despair in his life, would be forever lost. Uri hesitated for a moment, he knew there would be no time to say goodbye once he reached Raimie and Bishop. They would transport and his home would be no more.
Reaching the hall just outside Michael’s office, Uri stopped to look out the window. He wanted to catch one last glimpse of his beloved Rampart. Instead of finding a final glimpse of home, he saw something so much worse. Hundreds of bodies laid about the courtyard, guardians, clerics, men, women, and children.
“God— no,” Uri cried softly, falling to his knees. He watched the hydra move closer; all around it demons on horseback were guarding the monstrous creature. He was helpless to them, all of the victims in the courtyard. Some stood bravely and fought, they had to know it would be to their end. Others were mowed down as they attempted to flee. Few seemed to actually find refuge and Uri wondered if this would be the end. Did this mean they had found Gabe?
He sank to the ground, his back pressed against the cool stone wall. In that moment, he forgot what he was there to do. All he could think of were his fallen friends, the cries from outside filling his ears. Suddenly, there was a loud explosion, one so mighty it caused the grand door to what had once been Michael’s office to blow inward and ricochet down the hall, barely missing where he was perched.
Realizing the destruction that had just occurred, Uri leapt to his feet, rushing to the now vast and open hole where Michael’s office had stood. As the cloud cleared and he peered from the ledge down onto the rubble, he could see Raimie’s crumpled body at the bottom of the heap. Without hesitation or any care for the mob of demons that were closing in on his location, Uri made his way down into the rubble. As he maneuvered through the piles of rock and debris, he saw a random leg lying in his path. Making his way around it, he saw a bloody hand near his foot. Looking closer, he saw the ring that he had noticed earlier when he met Bishop.
He didn’t have time to worry about Bishop, it was already too late for him, and he needed to get Raimie out of harm’s way. When he finally reached his friend’s body, he could feel his chest moving. “Raimie, it’s Uri, can you hear me?”
Raimie sighed, not able to give a verbal response.
“I’m going to get you out of here, man.” Uri gathered up his friend into his arms, preparing to transport them to safety, away from this tragic misery.
“Just hold on, Dina will know what to do,” Uri pleaded with his
friend, fearful he would die before he could get him help.
Taking one last deep breath, Uri closed his eyes, concentrating on transporting both he and his friend to safety. Just as he could feel their essence slipping into another plane, Uri gasped, clutching with his free hand where his side was already beginning to fade away. His hand felt hot and wet. Looking down, he saw it was covered in red. Near his open palm, he saw an arrow protruding from his side. Before he could do anything else, Raimie and Uri both faded and were transported to the place Uri had been so clearly envisioning.
When Uri reappeared in a distant land, he looked at Raimie’s face; it was cold and expressionless. Realizing the intensity of his own injuries, Uri closed his eyes. Accepting his end, he fell to the side, taking once last breath as the darkness sank in all around.
The smoke stung at the corners of Uri’s eyes as he struggled to open them. He could hear the battle sounds all around him and smell the iron from the blood drenched warfare in the air. Much to his surprise, death had not yet claimed him. He could feel Raimie’s body under his own, no warmth came from him, however, and Uri feared the worse. Over his shoulder, he heard a large blast and the earth shook under him.
The trackers had obviously followed someone through. There were hundreds of designated transportation locations as part of the evacuation drill. Absolutely nobody was allowed to transport directly to a primary facility for this exact reason. If a tracker were to follow your transportation signature to the next facility, the Guardians could be nearly wiped out in one night. The secrecy of the facilities and cloaking spells were key in their safety.
Uri knew if he or Raimie had any chance of surviving, he needed to get clear of the fighting and find a healer. Attempting to sit up, he braced his weight on the earth just beside Raimie’s head. He quickly reconsidered as the unbearable pain shot through his side. Running his hand down to the source, he could feel the shaft of an arrow jutting out from his side; a warm wetness covered his fingertips.
In the distance, Uri could hear someone crying out in agony, not a voice he recognized, yet the pain in it seemed all too familiar. Another blast rang out from behind him as Uri slumped to the ground, groaning in pain.
Closing his eyes, Uri thought of any place other than where he was. Focusing the last bit of strength he had, and holding firmly onto Raimie, Uri attempted to transport them again. Nothing happened. Frantically, he tried again, receiving the same results. With his injuries, he did not have enough strength to transport them both.
The thought of abandoning his friend to save himself was never an option. He collapsed, pushing even closer to Raimie. Pressing his lips against his friend’s ear, he whispered, “As good a day to die as any.” He would defend them until his end.
The sound of a blade cutting through the air and piercing flesh shot out, followed by a groan and gurgling sound. Uri reached to his side, gripping the blade mounted there. With his injury, he wouldn’t likely be able to deliver a killing blow, but he was certain he would still be able to do a significant amount of injury.
Uri waited patiently for the assailant to come closer; the smoke was still thick and his vision obscured. He could still hear the slashing, the crunching of bones as they shattered under the pressure of the warrior’s attack. His chest ached as he wondered how many of his brothers were falling victim to the legions of demons that day. He could feel in his bones that the loss was great.
Slightly arching his back, squinting his watering eyes, Uri attempted to get a good look at the beast that approached. A gasp caught in his throat, he had been wrong; it was not a demon soldier at all that had been approaching them. It was a woman he had never seen before, but something still felt familiar as she approached. She was slashing through the demons as though they were overgrown jungle brush, a mere irritant in her way.
Uri stared in amazement as she pulled her sword from the gut of a tracker demon. The beast twitched momentarily as the girl wiped the black, tar-like blood from her sword onto the side of her boot. Casually, she stepped back just before the creature burst into flames as if it were something she saw every day. Her movements were quick and she carried herself with great purpose.
Her hair was long and black; it hung straight, climbing down her back. Her jawline was strong, eyes dark, and lips full. Uri was mesmerized by her. He didn’t notice that her leather armor was doused in demon blood; all he could see was the way the light shone around her, cutting through the thick smoke just to highlight her beauty. Her body was long and lean, the definition of her muscles pronounce, yet still feminine. He was sure she had to be an angel of deliverance, sent from heaven to take him home.
A snarling hellian landed directly in her path, laughing wildly as his head waved from side to side. The fiend towered above the woman, at least twice her weight and quite broad. His skin was so dry that it looked like stone, and enormous spikes jutted out all over its back and shoulders. A panic rushed over Uri, he needed to get up to help this beautiful fighter vanquish the giant demon. Pulling his sword up and using it like a crutch, Uri attempted to push himself to his feet. As soon as he managed to stand however, once he placed weight on the injured leg, he fell back to the earth with an agonizing thud.
Wincing with pain, his eyes darted back to the woman and demon. Uri held his breath, unable to fully process what was happening; even the demon was spelled by what he saw. The woman stood before the brutish creature, her frame silhouetted in a glowing blue color. It looked as though she were caught in a pocket where gravity no longer mattered. Hovering just above the ground, her hair extended out around her face, floating. The entire base of her body was engulfed with dancing flames that licked their way up her body. Narrowing her glare at the monster, she moved her arms out wide, and with a quick motion, brought her hands together. The flames that had been swimming around her gathered and shot from her palms in an intense stream. The intensity of the blast incinerated the great beast where he stood.
Uri sighed a breath of relief. He had never seen anyone quite like this woman. Returning to the earth gracefully, she took only a brief moment to compose herself before walking ever so delicately towards him, a large sway to her hips as she moved. When she finally reached Uri’s side, she knelt and smiled, looking into his eyes.
“Hey, are you ready to get out of here?” the girl asked in a voice that reminded him of birds singing.
“Do I know you?” Uri asked.
“I know you,” she answered with a tender smile.
Uri thought in that moment that it was best to trust her; the alternative would mean he could not protect Raimie or himself.
“What about my friend?” Uri managed to utter at last.
She looked up, another tracker demon catching her attention as it rushed towards their location. Lifting a single hand and bowing her head, she closed her eyes.
“Of course,” the girl replied, taking a hold of the two boys, and then they were gone. Only the broken grass and puddle of Uri’s blood were left where they had lay only moments ago.
“Sophie! Over here.”
“Thank God, Dina, I was so worried.”
“Have you seen any of the boys?” Dina inquired, her voice stressing her concern.
“No, not since before the attack,” Sophie said, still haunted by the flashes that were flooding her thoughts. The images had been happening ever since she has transported with the group in the infirmary; random pictures of unfamiliar subject matter would pop into her thoughts. Attempting to regain some clarity, Sophie shook her head.
Noticing her friend’s odd behavior, Dina asked, “Are you all right?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah, I’m fine. I guess I’m still in shock over everything that happened. It feels like I barely had a chance to get to know anyone and then this happened— I still don’t even really understand what did happen.”
“We were attacked,” Dina explained plainly. “I need to go and figure out who is in charge and what the plan is, all right? Are you going to be okay by yourself?�
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“Of course,” she feigned a smile. “I told you, I’m fine.”
“I don’t want to lose you in the chaos. Will you wait here for me?”
“Yeah,” Sophie agreed. “But I told you, I’m fine.”
Sophie watched as Dina walked away. I’m fine, she thought. She had been in the infirmary when the demons attacked. It wasn’t long before casualties began streaming in. She had seen so many people either killed or with gruesome injuries that she felt guilty saying she was anything other than fine when Dina asked. It didn’t seem right with the state of things that she should complain about some silly images plaguing her thoughts.
Sophie looked around at the masses milling about. There were tearful hugs and a desperation about the place that made her wish she had somehow been able to stop the attack. Glancing behind her, Sophie caught sight of a nearby tree. It was old, and its branches climbed towards the heavens until their tops were lost in the sunlight.
Scurrying to the calm spot, she sank to the ground, using the trunk as a resting place for her aching back. She wasn’t sure what these visions were about, perhaps just random images brought on by the excitement of the attack.
Sophie stared at the large buildings in front of her. Their stone design reminded her of Rampart, but it was clear from their construction that they had been here much longer. She wondered what would happen. Would this place they called Iron Gate be her new home? She had so many questions; questions that made her feel selfish to ask with the misery that surrounded them in the moment.
She closed her eyes, and before she realized what was happening, a scene began to unfold before her. It felt like she was dreaming, but somehow she knew it was a memory.
Sophie saw herself approaching a bush, Gabe following close at her side. “Look,” she watched herself say, pointing towards three robed figures. One of the figures was waving her hands around gracefully through the air as if she were the conductor of an invisible orchestra. There were lights dancing through the sky, following the motions. Another robed figure had his hands bent as though he were playing a piano in the air. As each finger came down on the imaginary keyboard, a mystical chime sounded.
