(Thank you so very much for taking the time to read this work. Please take a moment to rate it. For your time, I'd like to share a brief preview of what's next in this adventure... )
Guardians of the Seventh Realm
"Don't you think he's a bit young for that?" the woman asked, admiring her baby as he sat among the pile of blankets, chewing on the gold chain that held a round pendant.
There was a faint glow coming from its center, and the wood crackled in the fireplace.
"He isn't that much younger than I was the first time I held it," the man said, wrapping his arms around her. He kissed her gently on the neck. She smiled. "Besides," he continued, "he should understand its connection early."
The woman, who stood about five-six with long black locks flowing down her back, turned to look at her husband. Her warm green eyes made him smile. He stood about five-nine with short brown hair and eyes.
"I agree, but perhaps it can wait until he's able to hold it properly."
"Sure." He laughed. "But then what would we use to teethe him
with?"
They both chuckled as they looked on. The castle floors were cold, but the fireplace warmed the room. There were two large sitting chairs adjacent to the fireplace and on ether side of the blankets.
On the opposite end of the wall, a small wooden table sat holding a candle. As they turned for the chairs, a knock on the door followed by a request to enter redirected the male. He smiled at his wife in recognition of the voice on the other side. The woman returned the smile, and walked over to the child.
"Yes, Rhe? I expect you have a fiercely important reason for interrupting my evening." He chuckled slightly as he opened the door.
"Yes mi'lord...may I come in?"
The man's brows lowered slightly as he took in Rhe's expression of horror. He looked at his wife briefly before stepping aside to let him in. Rhe was of similar height and build as the man, but had dark red hair and gray eyes. The condition of his armor suggested he'd been in some kind of a struggle. The sheathed sward at his hip indicated that the struggle was not serious enough for the expression he wore, which only made the man more curious.
"My apologies, mi'lord," Rhe said, bowing deeply.
The woman reached down to pick up her baby, then looked to Rhe for his explanation.
"The castle walls..." Rhe began, then dropped to his knees suddenly, and wrapped his arms around his midsection, screeching in pain. The man reached out to him, but Rhe shuffled back slightly. The man's brows lowered, and he reached out again cautiously this time, only lightly placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Rhe, what's going on?"
After a moment, Rhe was still. Only his shoulders moved as he breathed in and out. He looked up, smiling crookedly. The man's eyes widened, and he swiftly removed his hand from Rhe's shoulder and backed away slowly.
Rhe laughed tauntingly. "I didn't think it would be this easy," he said in a deep, husky voice.
The man looked at his wife, who held their child close to her bosom. She closed her eyes and disappeared in a flash of bright white light. Rhe's eyes turned red as he looked on and noticed that the baby was holding the pendant.
"No!" he yelled, reaching for the woman, but he was too late. He turned to the man, who then asked angrily, "What...have you done...with Rhe?"
As if in response to his question, Rhe's lifeless body fell to the ground, his expression frozen in fear. In his place stood a creature more than seven feet tall. His skin was tan, and pulled tightly over his massive frame. Large claws rested where feet should have been. The sides of his legs were covered in thin white hair. His hands were large claws tipped with massive black nails. There was a second set of arms folded across his waist that were somewhat concealed under the black cloak he wore.
His attempt at following the woman made the hood of his cloak fall off, revealing the face only a mother could love. It looked rodent-like, hairless for the most part, and had the ears of a wolf. On his head and neck was long thinning white hair. His tan scalp outlined his scull. The red in his eyes seemed to glow as he turned to face the man questioning him.
"Hallll...varrr...durrr..." the creature said in a sluggish voice. "Your blood cannot escape me, nor can you defeat me without your tal...issss...man. What do you hope to accomplish by thisss?"
Hallvardr stood staring at the lifeless body of his friend and loyal protector. In his hand appeared a sward, the blade had a faint orange glow, and its guard was composed of twin dragons that curved up and around a black onyx pommel.
"Talisman or not, Andlat-Beget," Hallvardr said lifting the sword, "you have seen your last day."
"I do not think ssso," he replied harshly, then bent his knees and sprang straight up, disappearing and leaving a diamond-shaped void in the spot were he'd been.
"Oh no you don't," Hallvardr said keeping an eye on the darkness behind the shape. He jumped into it mere seconds before it disappeared, and emerged in a wooded area.
Following Andlat-Beget, he came to a clearing and froze. The outlined trees had disfigured bodies tied to them. The sent of blood filled the air and was muted only by the stench of death. Some of the figures were still leaking blood. Hallvardr could see what must have been human bodies at one point. On one of the trees, a pair of hands was clinched together.
In the center of the clearing, the stump of an aged cedar had a hexagram carved in its center. In between the points were six talisman keys. Only the center was missing.
"The seventh key," Hallvardr said mechanically.
He glad that his son had the other, then angered at the sight in front of him. True to his name, Andlat-Beget had come, and now he controlled six of the seven keys to the gateway.
Only in death would he have gained control over those keys, and death was all around him. Anger overwhelmed Hallvardr. He charged forward, raising his sword high. It glistened a sunset orange color and he drove it across the stump with blinding speed. Just before it touched the symbol, Andlat-Beget stretched his hand forth and a stream of white smoke left his claws. It landed on and around the stump, freezing it in place. The dragons forming its guard twisted swiftly and began crawling downward, but Andlat-Beget froze them as well.
He lifted his hand toward Hallvardr and unleashed a ball of green light so fast that Hallvardr had only time to acknowledge it before he was struck. He was violently flung across the clearing. The impact left him struggling to regain his bearings.
"Impressive, isn't it?" Andlat-Beget said, walking toward him slowly.
He reached out a hand toward the sword, then retracted it quickly grunting. His attempt at removing it left his claws charred. Hallvardr blinked several times.
His control of the keys is prime evil. Many will die if he succeeds in his venture here, Hallvardr realized. He was struck again as he tried to get to his feet, and suddenly knew how the others were bested. His eyes narrowed as he considered, He must have combined the elements before addressing the guardians. This cannot be. He must be stopped.
I know my love. I will find you, he heard his wife think.
Fear overwhelmed Hallvardr as he came to the realization that she would not be able to ignore this danger to the realm.
Annalisa would be in just as much danger as he.
"No!" he shouted, getting to his feet.
Before Andlat-Beget could fire another energy burst, Hallvardr released a stream of red-orange balls from his hands so fast that Andlat-Beget found it impossible to stay on his feet. It was a mistake, he knew it, but he would not lose his family. He pushed harder, desperately trying to penetrate the green shield Andlat-Beget threw over himself. With every burst he exalted, Hallvardr was weakened. Andlat-Beget had only to wait.
When he fell to his knees exhausted, Andlat-Beget dropped his shield, laughing. "I am disss...appointed. Your station demandsss...better of you. Perhaps with your tal...iss...man, you could have bes...ted me."
Hallvardr looked at the stump, thoughtful. After a moment, he released one last ball in its direction and fell to the ground, exhausted. AndlatBeget destroyed it with a ball of his own. In front of his chest, a small green energy ball was turning. With each rotation, it grew.
"I will find your tal...iss...man," he taunted, "and I will bleed your key dry to open the gateway. I will use the still-beating heart of your blood to take back the light and reclaim this realm."
When the energy mass was roughly the size of a beach ball, AndlatBeget released it straight for Hallvardr's heart. Before completing its mission, however, the ball was redirected by a beam of bright light directly in front of Hallvardr. The diversion sent it slamming into the stump, freeing the dragons, which then continued their decent. They blew fire upon the symbol, burning the wood it consumed.
As it crumbled under the fires demands, Hallvardr's sward broke through the symbol, effectively ending the spell. Two of the six talisman keys disappeared, and Andlat-Beget screamed in rage. He looked up to see Annalisa standing confidently in front of her husband, crimson staff in hand. His anger subsided slightly when he noticed the pendant hanging from her neck. He smiled and was further elated by the confusion in her eyes as she tried to teleport unsuccessfully.
Growling, Andlet-Beget threw a white ball of energy at her, yet it bounced away as if shielded. She bent to help Hallvardr up and hurried him through the nearby trees.
After a half mile, they stopped and she tried several times more toopen a gateway, but each attempt was less impressive than the last.
"He still has four keys, my love," Hallvardr said weakly. "He cannot gain control of yours; the others will come willingly."
"You need your talisman," she responded, trying again to open a gateway, frustration clear in her voice. Hallvardr placed a hand on her arm and motioned his disagreement.
Sighing, Annalisa placed her staff down, closed her eyes, and reached deeply within herself. When she opened them again, a rush of wind ran down the length of her body, carrying a light crimson mist. When it reached the ground, it continued outward with blinding speed, and after five hundred yards it stopped, blowing away every last branch, leaf, and flower lying dead within its path.
Annalisa looked into her husband's eyes. They could hear AndlatBeget's hoards approaching; they seemed to be coming from everywhere, beastly creatures just as hideous as their master. But none would cross the threshold, not without his magic.
Annalisa smiled.
No! Hallvardr shouted without moving his lips. You will be defenseless.
She looked around, tried again unsuccessfully to open a gateway, and returned her attention to him.
We will be defenseless, she responded without speaking. We are guardians, my love, we must defend the realms.
A group of hoards rebounded off the shield from all sides.
Then we protect them both", Hallvardr said.
He grabbed her hands as she closed her eyes in concentration. After a moment, a diamond shape no bigger than her palm appeared in front of them. She could see bright lights on the other side. Without another word, she released the pendant and sent it through the gateway. In its place, she fashioned a crimson glass replica, kissed her now armed husband, and turned to face their pursuers, Andlat-Beget at the lead. Death came, but not quickly enough.
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