“This is madness. Eldana is our daughter!” Sinto just shook his head and whispered, but his words drowned in the humming. He was angry that he had lost control of the situation. The warriors’ weapons were brightly lit, infused with the power of Toas. Sinto stood in front of everyone and lowered his eyes once more, shaking his head. As the leader of the warriors, his task was clear. He could not show any weakness.
“Kill her,” he said in a clear, loud voice to the warriors.
For a second, Eldana was shaking to the bones. Was this real? She forced herself to remain calm. Sinto is like your father, an enemy now, she thought. It felt strange. She needed to die, yes, in a proper ritual, not like this. Her thoughts were racing; her soul would be lost in darkness instead of bringing peace to Toas if they succeeded, at least this was what she thought...
Inside, she was numbed by the words of Sinto, but on the outside, she knew what to do. She moved to the left, and the ground beneath her burned. The verses that she listed before could now be heard in the air, getting louder. The spell worked and was becoming stronger with every second. By the moonlight that still hung in the pre-dawn air, her power would increase, just as she had once been told that her power was always linked to the moon. Its power unfolded a unique energy wave in her, mentally and physically.
Two of the warriors leapt into the air and attacked Eldana, their swords clashing against her protective shield. There was a spark, and the shield threw them back against their fellow warriors. They attacked again, bringing down their swords harder on the shield, and got the same result. Such blows from a warrior would have killed any normal being. The energy wall stood firm in the wake of the first attacks. The second wave came immediately. The warriors jumped, all of them now, thrusting and slashing. After each attack, they struck faster and harder, but the energy wall withstood it all.
Eldana staggered from the exhaustion. She struggled to hold the wall, and they saw the effort it cost her. The voices of the verses were still in the air. Hermon and Siem watched her, worry etching deep lines across their faces.
“Werhi haily,” Eldana called out, and, as if in response, the moon suddenly shone brighter and illuminated the entire clearing.
The wind blew the trees around her as the earth under their feet moved, just lightly. Dark clouds formed in the sky. The warriors still jumped towards her, round after round. Eldana raised her hand and waited for the next one to attack her. The moment his sword hit the wall, Eldana initiated a strike from the air; a lightning bolt streaked through the sky and hit the warrior. He fell to the ground in front of her. The earth burned like hot lava where she stood, all the elements were now in motion and thunder rumbled through the sky. Another warrior jumped forward and pulled him back. They all looked at the wounded warrior, horrified with the severity of his injuries.
It was the first time in such a long time that a warrior of the Middle Kingdom had been wounded. Through the sacrifices of the goddesses, there had been no violence for decades. The Middle Kingdom was known for their magic and fighting prowess, something that set them apart from the other human kingdom, Tonar, who had just a handful of magicians. It was clear that the seven had underestimated Eldana tremendously.
“Watch out, warriors of the Middle Kingdom!” Sinto cried out. “The moonlight gives her incredible powers.”
The warriors nodded and prepared for the next attack, grim but determined. But there was another emotion on their faces too, rage. This was supposed to be easy. The voices in the air brought Eldana into a trance-like state; she became faster. The runes on her coat glowed. Eldana now fought with unrestrained power. The waves of attacks started again, fiercer, and harder than before. But despite all her skills, Eldana knew that this game would not last much longer.
The warriors smashed against the wall relentlessly, but it always bounced them back. Eldana threw down another bolt of lightning onto one of the warriors, but he was prepared now. He held his sword out to block the attack and felt only half the force of the lightning.
Sinto was horrified; her powers were many times greater than he had expected. They were not able to break through her wall. She had always been a special goddess. But this? No. All of the goddesses had been special every hundred years, but Eldana had something that the others did not. The fire burned in her more than in all the others put together!
A thought grew in him that terrified him. What if she defeats us? He tried to shake it off quickly but could not. Their defeat would mean he would no longer be the respected teacher he was. A loud scream snapped him out of his dreams.
The wall disappeared and Eldana shouted, “Now!”
The warriors paused for a second, puzzled. And moving from behind Eldana, her two friends who had stood in the darkness now stepped into the light.
“I guess it’s our turn now. Are you ready to do some damage, Hermon?” Siem looked at him out of the corner of her eye while still focusing on the closest of Eldana’s enemies.
“Well, you know I’d love to avoid it, but I’m making an exception here!” he said. Siem looked a little confused but forgot about it quickly.
“Run, my brother. Help your sister; she needs you.” Hermon’s face changed from a smile to anger, and the Berserker ritual began. He cried out; it was a sad, loud, painful cry. His bones
