VALKYRIE

Chapter 16: Eric's POV

I whirled around. "You know you're not supposed to be here," the man said.

It was a soldier, around my age.

"I'm going to report you," he said. "You'll get vaporized."

Then he charged at me. I ducked left, then cornered him against the wall.

He unsheathed his sword, and I got mine out as well. I slashed at him, but he blocked.

We held our guard until I ducked under, turned the sword over with all my might, putting pressure on the top of the handle, then darted out of the way and yanked both our swords upward.

The soldier let go in surprise, and I kicked the sword's handle in midair and sent it flying across the room.

Not wanting to kill, I sheathed my sword and promptly smashed my fist into his face. He slid down on the ground, unconscious.

I smiled, and said, "Sweet."

Then I set out off into the hall, looking in every cell. In the first cell, there was an old man, who was definitely not the Light Leader.

I was pretty sure the Leader was a woman. I suddenly felt a warm sensation.

It flowed through my body, telling me where the Light Leader was. At the end of the long hallway, there was a closed off cell with another guard by it.

I punched that one unconscious, too. There was a lever that the guard was standing in front of, and I pulled it down. The door raised up.

Another guard, even bigger, covered another lever. I tried to punch him, but he made much more resistance. He tried to stab me, but I blocked.

We got into a little sword fight until I stabbed him, and he dissipated into black mist. I pulled the lever, and went down a hall with a huge guard in front of the last lever.

After a few minutes of swordplay, I got him as well, and he turned into mist as well. When I pulled the lever, a tiny cell was exposed.

I opened it, and looked inside. I felt the warmth coming from the room, which made me think of my mother. A woman sat in the corner, with a hood over her face and her head bowed.

"Light Leader? Is that you? I've come to rescue you," I said.

She looked up, and when I saw her face, I was reminded of my best memories.

My mother telling me stories and singing me lullabies, and cooking me delicious meals. My first time talking with Juno. Trying on dresses at the mall. Going to the party and dancing. Kissing her.

The memories disappeared, and I looked at the Light Leader's face.

She was a beautiful young woman, with brown hair and small freckles. She wore a white dress with long sleeves and golden trim. A white hood was on her head. The Light Leader looked at me.

"Eric. I've been expecting you," she said. Her voice sounded like tinkling wind chimes. She stood up.

"You're waiting for Juno to come with the necklace," the Leader said, and took a step toward me. I nodded.

"Instead we should go to her," she suggested.

"Let's go," I said, and we set off down the hall, the Light Leader's golden shoes making soft taps on the floor.

When I was around the Leader, I felt like I was with my mom again, even though the Light Leader seemed much younger.

"You miss your mother," she said, tilting her head. I stopped, then looked her in the eyes.

"She misses you too," the Leader said, smiling.

"How do you know?" I asked her.

"I am able to connect with the spirits of the deceased, before they pass on the the After Death realm," was her reply.

"The After Death realm?" I asked, confused.

"That is the realm that the deceased spirits go to, after their time is up. Some call it different things, perhaps Heaven, or the Isles of the Blessed. The Afterlife is another name," the Light Leader explained.

"Wow," I replied. We were almost to the throne room, when something grabbed me from behind.

"Iris?" I asked, when the person's face came into view. There was a group of people by her.

"Shh, but yes. We need to listen in to the conversation, to see if they need help. Come over here," Iris said, pulling me into the shadows, so we could listen, but not be seen.

I leaned toward the throne room, so I could hear better.

"Well, I must say that necklace does look good on you, my Lord," a female voice said. It was Juno.

"Thank you, Iris, I agree. Do you think it would look good on you?" I shuddered. That had to be the Dark Leader.

"Absolutely. Why don't I try it on?" Juno asked. The Dark Leader laughed.

"Now, now, don't get too crazy. We both know you'll just bring back that awful man. Bane, was it?" The Leader said.

"It was Ben, you monster!" Juno sounded angry.

"Whoa, there, I suppose you haven't gotten over him yet," the Leader lazily threw out. "You know, if you're not careful, I could kill you. Watch carefully."

We waited a while, until a thump sounded. I heard Juno gasp.

"I could do that to you, Iris, but I choose not to," the Leader said. There was a pause. "Iris, have you changed? You look... Different." I held my breath, terrified we were about to get caught.

I heard Juno stammer something about getting a makeover. There was another long pause.

"Are you sure you're really Iris?" The Leader asked.

The real Iris gasped next to me.

"Who's there?" The Dark Leader asked.

Nobody answered.

"If you don't tell me, I will kill this girl," he warned.

Slowly, Iris and I walked out, followed by the group of former Light Soldiers and the Light Leader.

"Iris? Really? Well, too bad, because I'm going to kill her anyways," said the Leader.

He raised his hand.

"NO!" Iris screamed, running toward them.

As if in slow motion, a dark blast shot out from the Dark Leader's hand.

Iris jumped in front of Juno, and the evil blast of pure darkness hit Iris in the chest.