No history book will ever accurately document what happened that day. Fact will turn into tall tales and rumors, but a handful will always know the truth. Shantis, a cryton, was the first to leap through the gate to help the humans. The moment her feet landed solidly, a flood followed in behind her, fighting side by side with Jade and Jacob. The crytons rushed in with weapons drawn, slashing wildly at the misty specters, giving everything they had to save the ones who had once condemned them.
The puppeteers couldn’t be killed this way, but they could be disrupted, which was all that needed to happen. “Strike at the golden lines!” Shantis screamed as she whirled from one to the other, severing their bonds. The puppeteers were helpless against the assault, as the beings were not fast nor of a physical nature. Each strike turned them to a temporary mist, much like waving a hand through smoke.
Eric strained as hard as he could to keep the rift open. Several times he thought he would lose it. Just a little longer! His primal scream, derived from pure effort, echoed through the forest as he felt as though his body were ripping in half. “Hurry!” he pleaded as the crytons flooded back out through the failing gate which was fading in and out, as if pulsing with his waning energy. As the last cryton leaped back through, Eric let the gate snap shut with no strength left to spare. With not a shred of energy left, he crumpled to the ground.
*
“Sir, we can’t hold any longer, they are starting to flood the wall!” said the short, stocky soldier. Azek had made it to the front wall in time to watch the nightmare unfold. It was true; the savages were showing no signs of slowing down as they climbed up each other’s backs, as well as the ladders. I’m sorry, my lady. We held as long as we could. “Prepare to cut them dow—”
One of the savages leaped over the wall right next to him. Azek moved like lightning to cut him down, when the savage suddenly collapsed to the ground. His body had jolted so hard before he went down that it seemed as if he had taken an arrow from behind, but there were no marks or wounds of any kind.
One by one the same behavior echoed through the ranks of possessed humans as heads snapped back, followed by complete unconsciousness. Some fell off the ladders as others dropped right where they stood, but drop they all did. The soldiers cheered and whistled, pumping their weapons high into the air, more than happy to accept the unexplained victory.
Azek leaned heavily on his sword as he looked up to the sky. You did it, boy! I’ll not doubt you again.
*
Addel nearly collapsed on top of the pearl she had been channeling her energy through. She had helped Eric hold the gate open long enough to stop the puppeteers. Eric bore most of the load, but he never could have held it that long without her assistance. With the extra power she had received now depleted, she could hardly even move. You can thank the dark lord for that gift, boy.
She hoped this was a start to help atone for the evil she had helped build. Dragot would kill her for sure once he found out. On one hand, she would gladly accept her fate if it came to that now that her conscience was at least partially clear. If this is how it ends, so be it. On the other hand, she had nothing to lose now, seeing as how staying here would be certain death, while trying to flee was only probable death. Deciding a slim chance was better than none, she tried with all her might to move her exhausted body.
Move, you old bat. You have to try! She pushed hard to get her weight off the table. Her legs could barely support her as they wobbled under her weight. Move! You have to move! She slowly placed one foot in front of the other. With how exhausted she was, it was like learning how to walk for the first time. Addel hobbled from her room and headed toward Dragot’s chamber, but she could hear him screaming and pounding the walls long before she got there.
“No! No! It’s not possible! How could this happen?” the demon screamed as he flailed around in a berserker’s rage. As Addel peeked her head inside the room, it was just as she had hoped. The image of Taron still remained on the wall, meaning the portal was still active. She held her breath as she summoned all her remaining strength to make a run for it. Dragot noticed her hobbling across the room at the last second. He grabbed at her as she stumbled through the chamber, ending up with nothing but a fistful of hair. “This is your doing, witch!” he screamed into the portal.
Addel fell through the hole in the wall but ended up with a soft landing. When she lifted her head from the green grass, she could see the cream-colored walls of Taron off in the distance. She began to crawl as the feeling of renewed hope washed over her. Maybe they will kill me! Maybe worse! I’ll accept my fate. On she crawled—to an unknown, true enough, but away from certain death. That much she knew.
*