EPIC: Fourteen Books of Fantasy (296 page)

Addel hobbled down to her room and threw herself on the old, dingy mattress. The shame and guilt burning through her gut far outweighed the extreme exhaustion. She had aided in the demise of her own kind. If this Eric Aethello really was the Gate Keeper, she had aided in crippling his chances as well. Her body convulsed with uncontrollable sobbing as the searing guilt became overwhelming. She had even used power given to her by a source of pure evil.
I don’t deserve to live
.

The light never seemed to change much, so there was no real way to tell whether or not it was morning. The door creaked open slowly and a spiky blond head peaked inside. When Jacob saw Jade and Eric curled up together under the blanket, he grinned widely as he stepped over to the bed. After a couple kicks to the mattress, the two of them began to stir. He turned back towards the door. “Let’s go, you two. They’re waiting for us,” he said over his shoulder as he flashed a wink and left the room.
 

Eric was the first to sit up. He looked down at Jade, whose eyes were wide open as she hugged the pillow while looking back at him. She looked beautiful. He leaned over and kissed her cheek before he crawled from the bed and began to dress. It was hard to explain, but he didn’t feel nervous or apprehensive. He didn’t feel anything. Their journey had led them to this moment, and he was just glad everything was coming to an end, no matter what that end may be.
 

Jade rose from the bed and began picking up her clothes as she eyed Eric from across the room. She held them for only a moment before dropping everything and rushing into his arms. She clung to him tightly as the reality hit her hard that it was possible he wouldn’t even survive this day. It was a thought Jade could hardly bear, evident by the fact that Eric struggled mightily to peel away from her death grip.
 

“Let’s go. They’re waiting for us,” he said in a hard voice as he finished lacing up his shoes.

“Are you afraid?” she asked, her voice quivering.
 

Eric just flashed her a sheepish grin and said “no.” It was a simple answer to a simple question, but it was also the truth. He couldn’t explain it, but he really wasn’t afraid at all.
 

Once she got dressed, they walked out together, but as they emerged on the dirt walkway, the breathtaking scene stopped them in their tracks.
 

Every cryton in the village was in attendance. The streets were filled. It seemed everyone stood shoulder to shoulder. There didn’t even seem to be enough homes in the village to house this many.
Where did they all come from
?
 

Although they had many of the same physical features, no two looked exactly alike. A larger nose or higher cheekbones that made one stand out was never duplicated amongst the others. The trademark dark spots never occurred in the same pattern twice, either, as some had them across their faces while others appeared on their backs, legs or shoulders.
They are as different from each other as humans are from one another
.
 

The low murmur of private conversation began to slowly be replaced by a low, musical hum that drifted throughout the streets. The single harmonious note gained in strength as more and more voices began to join in. Swords and spears were pumped into the air. A steady drumbeat started in the background before it began to slowly pick up speed. Then a second set of drums joined in, playing independently from the first. They all worked well together. The intricate song filled the air with the harmonious sounds of nature’s magic.
 

A burst of flame erupted in the background as a huge pile of firewood was ignited. The three friends remained mesmerized. The rhythmic drums played different beats, yet still worked together as one in a nearly hypnotic rhythm. Combined with the low hum that filled the air with synchronized harmony, it all seemed magical to them.
 

The door behind them slowly crept open. Shantis slinked through with her yellow eyes flashing seductively. She was bare-breasted like most of the women, wearing a black leather thong and a golden headband sprouting long colorful feathers that stood straight up like a fan. Aside from her usual jewelry, which was quite extensive anyway, she now displayed multiple gold necklaces encrusted with fire-red rubies. A large green snake with black spots wrapped itself around her neck and shoulders, no different than her other jewelry. She held its massive head high in the air as she spun towards Eric in an alluring fashion.
 

Shantis engaged in a slow, seductive dance as he kept his eyes locked on hers, showing no emotion whatsoever. Slowly dancing around him, she rubbed her body tightly against his as her impossibly long black tongue licked hard against his neck before working slowly across his lips, then his cheek. She dipped low to his knees, then rubbed her breasts hard against his body as she slowly made her way back up. The snake’s flickering tongue constantly tickled his neck and face, but he never even blinked.
 

Eric never took a single step back or even changed his hard expression. He was committed and would see this though.
 

Shantis twirled a series of pivots away from him and held the snake high above her head. Placing it back around her neck once more, she pointed to the roaring flames. As if by her command alone, they flared high into the air.
 

The flames began to turn green and blue as they spiraled into a living tornado of energy. Ghostly faces swirled around the spiraling flames, as if held by invisible strings. The contorted faces with comet-like tails for bodies spun farther and farther away from the green flame, as if trying to break free from its gravitational hold. One by one, they broke free from their orbital prison and flew through the air on the path of their choosing. One of the faces shot right towards Eric and stopped inches from his nose. Not only did Eric meet its ghoulish gaze, he moved closer to the specter.
An end is nothing to fear
. It hissed loudly, baring ghostly white fangs before sailing off into the trees.
 

Suddenly the very air around him seemed to change. He felt some sort of disturbance in the delicate balance of energy. His gaze fell upon Shantis, whose face clearly showed she felt the disturbance as well.
 

A thin line of blue light appeared, horizontally floating in mid-air right next to the fire. The flames began to die down now as the distraction caused everyone to lose concentration. However, the ruined ritual did not seem to be the most pressing matter.

“Berkeni. Berkeni.” said Ilirra, banging on the door incessantly. “Open this door!”
 

The door opened a crack. Berkeni’s wide eyes peeked out cautiously.
 

Ilirra forced her way into the room, slammed both hands onto the wooden table and peered into the white pearl. “Tell me what’s happening. I want to know everything.”
 

“B-B-But you said you didn’t want to watch. That your heart couldn’t take it, and I was supposed to inform you later. You said—”
 

“I’ve changed my mind,” she screamed. Her fists pounded the table. “What’s happening now? You can see them, right?”
 

“Well, yes, yes. As long Jade continues to wear the silver ring, I have full contact with them,” he stammered nervously. “But something just happened. The trial seemed to be going perfectly when all of sudden—” He stopped and cupped his hand to his ear. “Do you hear that?”
 

The Queen stood perfectly still and listened. Her heart nearly sank through the floor as she heard the warning bells ringing out. Taron was under attack!
No…no, this can’t be happening
.
Not now
.
 

The door was flung open as Azek burst into the room. “My lady, we are—”
 

“I hear the bloody bells!” she yelled out as she turned to face the wall. Placing a hand on her forehead, she closed her eyes and tried to gather herself. “Berkeni, is it what I think it is?” she asked in a soft voice that contained none of her usual fire.
 

He was already peering into the white pearl before she even spoke the words. “Yes, my lady,” he said in an even softer voice. “They are moving towards the front wall as we speak.”
 

“My lady, I know they are not of their own free will right now,” said Azek in a somber tone, “but we are sworn to defend the people of Taron. I will instruct the wall soldiers to knock down their ladders as needed but to take no lives. We can hold for a time, but once they penetrate—” He paused a long moment before he continued, “then I will be forced to uphold my sworn duty.”
 

Ilirra silently nodded her agreement as she faced the wall, unable to look at him. There was only so much that could be done to spare life at this desperate time. Placing her head on her forearm, she leaned heavily against the wall.
By the gods, we’re running out of time
.
 

Armed guards swarmed the city walls as the bells echoed loudly through the streets. Soldiers on the ground level tried to brace the front gate with a large oak log that had been wheeled up on a cart.

 
Karbin, the acting general when Azek was not present, pointed out positions along the walls for the men to hold. He pulled out his looking glass to see what they would be dealing with and how close to the wall the threat had gotten. His blood turned to ice. At least a thousand men were rushing over the hill, running wildly like a pack of dogs. He could even make out the animalistic expressions on their faces. Their tongues hung from their mouths like dogs. White foam bubbled out as if they were rabid. Even their eyes were completely white. Karbin was sure he would never sleep again.

 
Nothing could have seemed more unnatural. Random packs of three could be seen carrying ladders as they sprinted along, tripping and falling constantly from the frenzied effort. When one would fall, the others just kept running, trampling over the fallen as if he wasn’t even there. They seemed savage and completely unorganized, and they rushed in without even a hint of a battle formation. When the first wave hit, they tried to climb the wall with their bare hands, clawing like animals as others tried to climb up their backs. As the second wave crashed in, crude wooden ladders began to rise up the walls. They trampled over each other just to be the first to begin their ascent. The men on the wall used long poles to keep knocking back the ladders, but they didn’t know how long they could defend against the tireless assault.

Everyone remained focused on the thin line of light as they backed away from it. The line began to expand vertically until it resembled some kind of huge glowing window hovering in the air. One second passed, five, ten. You could have heard a pin drop for miles. Then a swarm of black leathery creatures funneled through like a river of death, charging the second they hit the ground. But the crytons were no exception to that rule. They countered swiftly, like they had been preparing for weeks, returning the charge with all the skill and tenacity that had made them legends in times of old. Flashing steel easily annihilated the first wave of black demons.