“You have done that before. All seven, or rather the seven of you. I would like to see you try again.”
Lord Taboon and Sinto were well aware of the probability that Eldana’s powers would have grown following the time succeeding their last fight.
“You do not have to go this way, Eldana,” Sinto warned.
“I can go anyway I want, Sinto,” Eldana said. “You of all people should know that. Because you had imbibed it in me.”
Sinto smiled sadly. “I was wrong.” He said.
“Enough of this, Eldana.” Lord Taboon spit out. “The world is caving in on itself because of you. Hand yourself over peacefully.”
Eldana laughed. “All lies!” She conjured a ball of flame, and then staring at Lord Taboon, tilted her head to the left, and smiled daringly.
Lord Taboon gave a grim smile of his own, and then clicked his fingers.
Suddenly, the men behind him broke ranks, and four figures were dragged out haphazardly and flung to the ground.
The ball of flame fizzled out. Eldana’s eyes widened as she tried to make sense of the people kneeling before her.
They were all there. Looking battered, and spent, but they were there. Siem, Hermon, Mikko, and D’rmas.
Eldana gasped, and tears rolled from her eyes.
“Hand them over.” She said, looking at Sinto. “Please.”
“I cannot do that,” Sinto said. “Only if you give yourself up.”
“Do not do it! Eldana!” Siem yelled.
She got a boot to her mouth from Lord Taboon.
Eldana made one step forward, her fists bowled in anger. But Lord Taboon waved his finger at her, cautioning her to remain still.
“Their lives are in your hands. Whatever choice you make next is up to you,” Lord Taboon said slowly.
Eldana stared at her friends. Their eyes were steely with resolve, but she felt the exact opposite. She was so helpless that all the vigor and strength housed in her moments ago, had evaporated.
“Just give up, Eldana,” Sinto said soothingly.
Eldana shut her eyes. This was the end of it all. She knew that for certain. Many people had already been lost because of her. And she did not know how many more would die. She considered herself selfish enough to have let her friends go through all this pain for nothing. There was still something she could do to save their lives and the lives of everyone else remaining in the world. Maybe in 100 years the next one will stop this madness.
I can be selfless, just for this last time, she thought.
“Eldana, no,” Hermon yelled as Eldana rose both her hands in surrender, and began to step forward...
Siem struggled against her bonds, glaring at Eldana.
“I am sorry,” Eldana said. “But I cannot let any of you die for me.”
Lord Taboon had a huge grin on his face, lopsided and revealing his browned teeth. Sinto breathed with relief. Suddenly, the air grew into a gale. Sinto cast his eyes up into the sky and saw storm clouds forming.
“Eldana..?” He warned.
“I am not doing anything,” Eldana replied, her hands still up in the air.
Just then, a spear went through one of the men standing beside Lord Taboon. The spear was finely crafted from wood. Eldana found it strikingly familiar. Then, she stood taller, smiled, and put her hands down.
“What are you doing?” Lord Taboon asked, with the smile vanishing from his face.
“Showing you that I am not alone,” Eldana replied.
Sinto cast his eyes around and was about to give orders to the men when a hail of spears dashed towards them. Sensing the whistling in the air, Eldana dove to the ground. Lord Taboon, Sinto, and the rest of the magical guard, the elite warriors of Middle Kingdom, dodged spears. The orcs, on the other hand, got hit by most of them.
From the surrounding green, there was a raucous cry as the elves of the Ciroc burst forth in their numbers. Within a minute, everything was chaos. Both in the skies and on the ground.
Meko slashed an orc in two and dashed to Eldana’s side to help her cut the bonds restraining her friends.
“Old friend.” Meko greeted, “Want some help?”.
“How are you here?” Eldana asked. “All of you?”
“We decided it was time to change the world. You are our best shot at doing that, and so here we are.”
Siem flicked her wrists as she got free of her bonds. Eldana swooped her up in a hug.
“I missed you so much,” Eldana told her.
“And you too,” Siem replied.
“Erm, guys,” Mikko called. “Excellent reunion, but we have a problem...”
Tabeli was heading their way with a company of orcs, warriors of the Middle, and Sandocs.
“Do you have any weapon for me?” Siem asked Eldana.
Eldana shrugged.
“Luckily, I do,” Meko said, pulling out a bow and quiver full of demon arrows from thin air. She handed D’rmas a sword.
“Getting out of this one is going to be tough,” D’rmas said. “Hermon should lead the charge against the orcs. They are no match for his fury. I will take the warriors of the Middle Kingdom, better to be killed by a warrior. Meko can handle the Sandocs.”
“I am counting on that,” Hermon said.
He knew what he had to do, and he did not care about what it cost any more. But before that, his eyes rested on Meko, who drew him in for a quick kiss. Hermon stood stunned afterwards before Meko tapped his back.
“Roar, my beast, roar,” Meko whispered.
Whispering the ancient magical words, Hermon turned full berserker. His eyes were gleaming black orbs.
“Where is Mother?” Eldana asked Meko.
“She is up in the sky staving off Camin and Lowus’ influence in the battle.”
“Good,” Mikko said. “Let us keep the gods out of this!”
“Don’t call them gods,” said Eldana with hate. “Call them Camin and Lowus,” she spit out.
Mikko, confused about what to say just added an “OK” and went into battle.
With a yell from both sides, they crashed into each other. Hermon tore through the orcish fighters recklessly, sundering them limb by limb. He was a righteous incarnation of damage.
The battle raged on fiercely, and then by some forbidden magic of Lord Taboons,
