Into the Storm

by Scott Marcy

  Sterling leaped onto the podium and raised her blades. Bolts of raw energy leaped from the tips and shot across the battleground. It cut through three daemia and wounded a fourth. The archers fired at her, but they bounced off her protective energy shield. She cast spells in the ancient Elvish tongue and stung their ears. They recoiled and grimaced in agony, tormented by her words of judgment.

  Sabrina spun around Mortemis’ left side and slashed. The drathva screamed in agony. She chopped at his left arm and cut through his elbow. Forearm and hand, still clutching the sword tumbled to the ground. He feebly tried to stab her, but she deflected the blow and thrust her blade through his chest. Face to face, he bared his teeth and hissed at her. She returned one of her blades and fire issued from her hand. The fire formed a hot molten chain, which quickly cooled into black links. As she wrapped the chain around him, Mortemis fluttered his wings trying to flee, but she held him fast. After she had bound him with chains, she cried out with a loud voice, and in the center of the dais, an orifice opened below them.

  The mouth of hell, both flames and darkness yawned, and the gaping maw of death waited. “NO,” Mortemis cried as she hurled him into the abyss. He tumbled end over end falling through the flames and into the absolute void. When the hell mouth closed, the daemia fled. However, one of them grabbed Mortemis’ arm, still clutching the sword, and stole it away.

  Melvin tumbled to the floor, arrows jutting from his stricken body, and he lay on his side. His red blood mixed with the daemia black blood. He drew in a raspy breath and dropped his sword. It hit the stone with a metallic clang. Alex and Lyra rushed to him, and Lyra rested his head in her lap. He coughed and said, “It was fun while it lasted.” The girls began to cry.

  Sabrina passed through the dead daemia bodies and knelt down beside Melvin. She clenched her fist until it began to glow and then placed her open hand upon his chest. “Melvin Blum, would you care to join the Praetorian Guard?”

  “Um … dying,” he said.

  One at a time, she drew out an arrow and healed the injury. “I’m healing you, so you’re going to live — for a while. If you join the guardians, you forfeit your right to die.”

  “Sure, sounds like fun,” he said and flinched with she pulled out an arrow. “Is there a membership fee or something? Because I’m broke.”

  “No, there are no fees. However, you have to swear loyalty to the other Guardians and to me. The position comes with a generous compensation package, but you won’t get much of an opportunity to spend it. There’s a lot of work to do.” She helped him rise and removed her hand. “You’re healed.”

  He felt his stomach and back. “I feel great.” He picked up his sword and sheathed it. He furrowed his brow and cocked his head. “I’m trying to see the downside here, but I’m not getting it.”

  “Downside,” she said and pondered. “There will be times you wish you could die. It is an ultimate end to suffering, and it is a benefit for those in the Temporal Lands. If their suffering becomes too great, they can die and depart for the Undying Lands. You, on the other hand, will have to stay and keep fighting. You will join more than some military organization: you will join a family, and your vocation will come before all others. Take some time and think about it.”

  “I don’t have to. I’ve been waiting my whole life for this. It’s like I’ve been stuck in the waiting room of life and now the waiting is done. Is there some sort of magical ceremony or something?” Melvin asked.

  “Yes, there is,” she replied.

  “Awesome, I was hoping you’d say that.”

  She smiled and patted him on the shoulder. “Let’s get out of this place. It stinks.” As they exited, the girls asked about themselves. She said to them, “You’ve already joined the Valkyrie, the sister organization, and your necklaces are sealed. No one can remove them. However, they can be modified, and you will have to earn that rank.” She touched Alex’s necklace and removed the senior rank. She then said to Jack and Gloria, “Razûl needs a king and queen. Care to apply for the position?”

  Chapter 18

  Sam led mounted cavalry toward the castle. Alex wandered out the main door and then Jack. When she saw her friends, she waved and called for the others to join them. Sam dismounted and strode over to them. “It’s good to see you. I feared the worst. We heard a great tumult arise from Nose Mountain: screams of anguish, roars filled with rage, and a death cry. Swarms of shadow imps rose filled the sky. As suddenly as it began, it ceased.”

  Israel said, “We saw your capsule arrive and rode to rescue you.” Major James Jordan, accompanied by his Army Rangers and the Secret Service detail, joined them. “What are your orders, Mr. President?”

  “First, I’d like you to meet my wife, Gloria. We rescued her from Mobley before we had to destroy the town,” Jack said.

  Mouth agape, Israel embraced her and said, “It’s wonderful to meet you.”

  “What happened here? We saw a whole mess of corpses on our way to the castle,” Sam asked.

  “It’s a very long story. Before I get started, I would like to introduce you to Sabrina. “She’s the one that saved us in the Dragon Monument.

  “Sabrina gave this kingdom to us,” Jack said.

  “It’s going to be a representative monarchy with a newly established parliament.” Sabrina shifted her wings and put her hands on her hips. “There are many others American’s spread out in Eden. I am sure that they will come here to join you.”

  Israel put his right hand on Jack’s shoulder and said, “It has been a crazy couple of days. I would never have imagined all this.”

  Jack put his arm around his old friend’s shoulder and said, “Let’s go plan the new republic.”