Enlightenment, p.19
Enlightenment, page 19
part #1 of The Immarian Lineage Series
“That’s the signal, boys!” Markus exclaimed enthusiastically.
Feeling adrenaline coursing through my veins, we all sprang to our feet and barrelled toward the front gate with our shields raised and our heads down.
An arrow hit my forearm, making it go numb, but I remembered that you were only eliminated by a death shot. That was an attack that would hit a vital part of the body.
The front gate was an imposing twenty-foot-tall solid oak barrier, but we went full speed, and I hoped the remaining swordsmen on our team were ready.
At ten yards away from the castle, we didn’t ease up.
Thea! I thought pleadingly. It would have been a very pathetic assault if three people knocked themselves out by slamming into the front door.
As if Thea had heard my plea, a hole just big enough for us to jump through appeared in the door.
Diving in after Markus, I rolled up onto my feet and instincts told me to raise my now psychedelic shield. Thud! A sword slammed against it, jarring my arm.
Markus was already swinging away with his large sword at a clump of defenders who had been waiting for us at the door, a grin on his face. I charged in to help as Jake jumped through behind me.
Battling in the main part of the castle meant that archers up along the inner walls could pick us off easily, so Jake raised a hand, and thick, black smoke engulfed the upper level. Stumbling slightly, Jake took a steadying breath then joined the fight.
Through the sounds of metal and shuffling feet, I could hear people coughing from above. Grinning, satisfied that things were so far going as planned, I did my best to hold off the seven defenders who were pressing down on us hard. With being so outnumbered, we could barely defend, let alone attack, but our main job was to keep them occupied for as long as possible. We didn’t know how long the smoke would last, but it would hopefully be long enough.
I jumped around, avoiding blades, parried swords, and blocked with my shield as best I could, but it was exhausting.
Markus’s plated armor soon became dented along his shoulders and legs. Even with his massive sword, he couldn’t keep the defenders at bay. Although, he did manage to eliminate one opponent who was now lying in a corner, dealing with a serious headache. Jake’s wooden shield had long since been chopped to kindling and was being forced back against the gate as swords slammed against his.
I felt like one of the training dummies, having been hit and bruised all over the place but had been lucky enough to avoid a death stroke. At one point, I swore that I was actually grabbed and used as a shield by one of the larger defenders. Then Jake was eliminated as an arrow smote him in the back of the head, splattering his helmet with paint.
Just a little longer, I thought frantically as the smoke started to thin out.
The defenders never seemed to tire, thanks to a guy known as the “The Battery” who could give his own energy to others, thus giving them more stamina than any one of us. They just kept on stabbing and slashing as if determined to cut us into confetti.
One spear snuck past my shield and stabbed me right on the bicep. Luckily, it didn’t pierce my armor, but my arm went dead as it dangled by my side with the shield still attached.
I looked up through the eye slit in my helmet, and my heart went into overdrive. The smoke had practically disappeared, and now I saw Trevor grin as he took aim at Markus and hit a tiny chink in his armor, eliminating him. I could not hold off six swordsmen and the archers above!
As they converged on me, I saw it. Devices known as “springers” landed along the walkway just behind the archers who were too intent on watching me get eliminated to notice. Springers acted like mechanical grappling hooks, so the user just had to hold on to it to scale the wall and not tire themselves out.
The first to appear over the wall was Thea with her auburn hair tied in a ponytail, whipping around behind her as she howled, leading the other members of our team over the wall. As quick as a flash, she fired two arrows down with perfect accuracy, taking out two of the six swordsmen who were swarming me. Caught by surprise, the enemy archers were easily disposed of, and then my team charged down, and we whipped the butts of the remaining scrambling defenders.
The siege over with our victory, my adrenaline disappeared as I sat by the castle wall, watching Trevor throw a tantrum, yelling at his fellow archers for being blind and stomping his feet. His teammates all had glazed looks in their eyes, like they couldn’t believe it themselves.
“Good plan.” I smiled tiredly as Thea joined me.
“Were you expecting a bad one?” she demanded half-heartedly. “No one has successfully captured the castle in three years, let alone with only two casualties.”
I shrugged and exhaled heavily. “I could sleep for a week.” It annoyed me a little that Thea had just as little sleep as I did, yet she seemed wide awake.
“Don’t sleep yet,” she said happily, shoving my shoulder.
“Why not?” I asked as my head had, in fact, started drooping.
“Because of one of the oldest traditions we have here. The losers must serve the victors.” She grinned.
After the healer ran around, fixing up all those who had been injured during the siege, my whole team happily marched toward the mess hall, arm in arm, complimenting each other with big high-fives all around. It got even better once we got seats and the defenders brought us our food and started feeding it to us. Normally, I would just eat baby carrots whole. For some reason, though, I had the urge to have them cut up into neat little pieces.
Although the losers were obliged to feed us, we laughed and talked to each other like old friends.
Halfway through the meal, we raised our cups of Gatorade and toasted Jake and Thea for their brilliant plan. I could see her trying to hide it, but the redness in her cheeks could not be missed.
It was at that moment when I could see everyone smiling and laughing that I thought maybe I was beginning to find my place here.
As the team broke off after lunch to go to their next classes, I looked down at my schedule then headed for fitness training. Now gym class was always something I liked about school. So, for the first time since I started here, I felt a twinge of optimism. If only I were a little less tired, I was sure I would impress.
I was dead wrong!
Think of the hardest gym class of all time. Well, that was child’s play compared to this. Fitness training lasted two hours, and every second of it was agonizing and grueling. First, we ran for forty-five minutes nonstop, which wasn’t too bad unless you were wearing heavy armor, with a sword and shield at the ready, a helmet bonking your head with every step … Oh, and you were running up the side of the mountain! I could feel the muscles in my legs tear.
What was worse was, if you stopped to catch your breath, you had to do fifty burpees. Ugh! Then you had to try to catch up or risk being left alone up a forestry mountain where monsters could be roaming. There was no stopping whatsoever. As we reached the bottom of the mountain and back into camp, we had to sprint right into the lake where we had to tread water for ten minutes. I lasted, like, twenty seconds before my armor dragged me under and I needed to be rescued.
Xander, who happened to be in my training group, laughed and imitated me drowning to approving bursts of laughter by his friends, who also pretended to drown, leaving me scowling and dripping by the water’s edge, lungs burning.
For the rest of the time, we had to do drills in reaction to different monster encounters. This part was slightly easier. Since I was a rookie, all I did was follow the captain’s instructions as he coordinated us, but it was still physically demanding and irritating when Xander or one of his friends would ram into me, saying sarcastically, “Oh, sorry, didn’t see you without your arms flailing around.”
When it was finally over and I was barely able to move without wincing, I had two hours of free time. I wished I could have spent more time training with Carter, but I was just too beaten. My legs shook and dark spots would frequently appear floating in my vision, so I headed to my tent, smelling of fish and sweat. Pulling off my armor, I collapsed onto the lumpy ground that felt like a king-sized bed, and boy, did I sleep.
Chapter 19
“Leverage!” a deep, ancient voice boomed around the dark cavern. Shadows of creatures were visible on the walls from the light of the flaming throne on which that same being sat. “Humans are simple and will act as I anticipate them to; of that I have no doubt.” His black eyes gleamed.
Then I noticed the cloaked figure kneeling at the base of the throne. This guy is everywhere, my dream-self thought.
“You know this, how?” he asked.
“I have seen it.” The being on the throne paused knowingly. “But do not worry your little human mind about it. The Three Terrors dare not disappoint me. Before this moon cycle is out, an annoying thorn in my side will forever be removed, bringing our cause one step closer.” His voice had such power within it that it was hard not to believe him.
“As you say, My Lord.” The cloak figure bowed. “But why summon me in person? It has become much more dangerous now.”
“I am history in form!” His voice reverberated heatedly off the walls, causing bits of stone to fall. “Do I not deserve to see my servants in person? Am I,” he growled, “unseemly to be near?” His eyes flashing dangerously.
The cloaked figure started stuttering in fright. “Y-Y-Yes, My Lord. I mean, n-n-no, My Lord. Forgive me please, My Lord.”
“Leave me,” the seated guy commanded, waving a hand lazily.
Hastily, the cloaked figure bowed then left at an extremely fast pace, as if he thought his master would change his mind and vaporize him.
As he disappeared, a monster stepped out of the gloom by the throne.
“Creator,” it said with a gruff voice as it placed its right hand over its chest and bowed. “May I eat my catch now?”
“Not yet, it shall remain chained to the wall of the pit a while longer.”
The monster shifted uncomfortably. “Why do you need that repulsive thing?”
“To set the final pieces into motion.” The Creator chuckled deeply in his chest.
“But its life force is failing.”
“No matter. It’s only needed for another week at most.”
“Can I eat it, then?”
The being on the throne chuckled. “Yes, my savage one.”
Making that same odd bow, the monster muttered, “Creator,” then left.
***
I woke up with a start as thunder boomed overhead and rain hit my feet that extended beyond the tent. I could hear rain hitting my linen tent thick and fast.
Taking a moment to enjoy the sound of the pitter-patter, I rubbed my forehead, trying to understand why I would have random dreams like this. The therapist that my dad had forced me to when I was younger would have tried to pick apart the dream, but I didn’t see a relation between me and a dude frying his butt.
My stomach growled, and I realized that my nap probably lasted longer than the two-hour free time that I was permitted to have.
I strapped my armor back on and headed out into the rain. It was freezing! The rain was so heavy that it soaked me within seconds and gave me goosebumps as my breath hazed the air in front of me. Raising my shield over my head like an umbrella, I ran for the mess hall. With those dark rain clouds, it was hard to see properly.
The camp was deserted; I didn’t meet a single person. There were no believers doing their activities or walking around. It looked like the camp had gone into a coma. The torches were flickering feebly, trying to stay lit but losing the battle against the rain. The ground was soft and slippery, indicating it had been raining for some time. The wind ripped the warmth from my body, and lightning illuminated the camp. The air briefly smelt like ozone, and I realized maybe holding a metal shield over my head wasn’t the best idea.
I got to the mess hall dripping wet and disappointed, because it was just as empty and dark as the rest of the camp. Next, I tried the forges, thinking it would be warm and dry, but no dice. The combat class cabin was likewise empty. I couldn’t understand what was going on. Did I sleep through a battle? Cornelius always told me I slept like a log, but dang. There couldn’t have been a battle. With monsters involved, there would have been a lot more carnage. And it wasn’t like the believers would just bug-out like that. The believers here had pride in how long this place has been standing, and I was sure Thea would have woken me up. But I won’t lie; I started getting pretty nervous.
I was still rattled by my dreams, which I was sure meant something, so I searched all over the place, even the bathrooms in case I was missing some top-secret toilet training or something. Minus the smell, there was nothing. It was like the whole camp had simply vanished into thin air.
Back out in the rain, I marched through the lines of tents, checking to see if anyone was inside, and although I saw someone with a sweet gaming system and surround sound who I made a mental note to befriend, there wasn’t a soul.
The wind howled and numbed any part of exposed skin, and I could barely hear or see.
Just as I decided to go back to my tent to figure out a plan, the wind blew a new sound my way. The sound of a huge gathering, cheering. For a heartbeat, I was paralyzed, wondering where that had come from, but then I realized the sound was coming from the Mad House!
How could I have forgotten to check the dome? I thought angrily at myself as I went as fast as I could toward it, nearly slipping into a large wad of mud.
The roar of the crowd grew louder and louder as I approached, but it wasn’t until I was ten feet away that I could see through the dome’s clear exterior. Every single person in camp seemed to be in there.
The inside was great. It was set to a warm summer day with a nice breeze that hit you as you walked in. The place was crowded, though, as people chatted with friends and cheered loudly as they all looked toward the center at something I couldn’t make out.
I made my way through the crowd to see what all the fuss was about. People were shaking hands in a business-like way, like they had just come to some agreement.
Continuing to squeeze my way through, I half-expected to still see the castle there, but that was completely gone now and what took its place was both beautiful and terrifying.
Two believers were fighting each other, and by the looks on their focused faces, it appeared it was to the death. The first fighter, a girl, had a large diamond-shaped shield and long, curved sword with blood dripping off her fingertips. The other fighter was bare-chested. He kicked the diamond shield then backed off quickly as he started making quick swinging arm movements through the air, as if he were trying to herd the clouds.
Before the girl could react, a snarling albino jaguar appeared out of thin air and snarled viciously at her, showing off its wicked fangs. I could see the girl readjust her grip on her sword as she stared down the animal that prowled back and forth.
The crowd cheered louder and started to chant something that I couldn’t quite catch.
The animal was moving in the same manner as the guy, who continued to swing his arms about, like their movements were one. Human and beast stared each other down, and the girl was definitely in some pain with a cut on her forehead that bled into her eyes. Then, without warning, the boy lunged a step forward and, in sync with his motions, the jaguar pounced faster than I would have thought possible, all its formidable weight landing on top of the girl. Miraculously, the girl was able to roll backward with it and kick the cat off.
Snarling, the jaguar pounced again, but this time it felt the girl’s cold steel as she stabbed it. The second fighter stumbled back as if he himself has been stabbed as his jaguar dissolved.
The onlookers erupted into applause.
Rubbing his chest for a moment, the boy pulled out twin daggers as the two warriors converged upon each other.
It seemed like the crowd could sense the end was approaching and cheered even louder as the two fought.
And the way they moved, it almost looked like a dance. They fought back and forth for another few seconds until the jaguar slayer rolled underneath a swirling dagger attack and placed her sword a fraction of an inch away from his neck.
The spectators lost control then, clapping and whooping louder then ever as the two believers shook hands.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” a voice echoed around the dome, “your winner is … Laura Murphy!”
The crowd started chanting, “Murphy! Murphy! Murphy!”
The jaguar slayer took a bow then walked over to join her friends, who slapped her on the back and raised her arms like she was the heavyweight champion.
“The next event will take place in five minutes,” the announcer said but was barely heard over the noise.
I checked around, still having trouble believing that I was in the dome. It was impossible to tell whether I was inside or back in Central Park on a beautiful summer day. Then I saw Cedric away from the rest of the crowd, grinning broadly as a grumpy-looking guy handed him a slip of paper.
“Hey,” I said, weaving my way through groups of people.
Cedric plunged his hand into his pocket quickly before looking around. “Oh, Alec! What’s up, man?” he said happily.
“Oh, nothing really. I was just panicking, thinking I slept through an apocalypse or something.”
Cedric laughed. “Yeah, if you haven’t noticed, the Rain Games are a big deal. Everyone wants to show what they can do. I bet it’s a ghost town outside the Mad House.”
That remark didn’t sit well with me. For people who took so much pride in having the fortress standing here so long, it seemed kind of irresponsible to leave it defenceless like that.
“But isn’t that a bad thing? Couldn’t monsters catch us by surprise if we aren’t prepared?”
“Oh, you misunderstood me.” Cedric gave a guy a high-five as he walked past. “I meant ghost town literally. Emily is out there now, with a half dozen ghosts reporting to her tonight.” Cedric nodded approvingly.
“She’s out there? And not having fun with everyone else?”
