The Realm Protectors

Chapter 44 - Nile

"What's going on?" Enya turns around frantically, searching the people on the ponte. "Where are Lyra and Carter?"

"There!" Ciana points. Lyra and Carter appear from inside the hotel, sprinting out to meet us. They're breathing heavily, a crazed and terrified look in their eyes.

"We have to get to the gateway!" Lyra tells us. "They are attacking it right now?"

"What?" Avani asks. "They weren't supposed to until the end of the week!"

"They probably changed their plans because they know we have them." I huff, cursing in my head.

"Isn't going to the gateway dangerous?" Ciana asks.

"Normally, yes," Lyra replies, fidgeting with her hands nervously. "But with this many space elementals, we should be able to balance the gateway and stop the attack. Perhaps we can save this gateway!"

"I think if Lyra thinks there's a shot, then we go for it." Enya says firmly. She looks to me before looking at Avani and Nikolina. "You two are Intelligence and Protection. What do you think?"

Avani sets her mouth in a firm line. "I think we fight."

"I agree," Nik nods.

"Good." Enya nods back. "Then we're all in agreement." She turns to Tucker. "Do you have any ideas?"

Tucker pauses to think. "Amplify your voice. Tell the city to get all graduated space elementals to the gateway. These are protective people. If anyone can save a gateway, it's the Stellunes."

"Faris, you heard him." Enya cracks her neck. Faris nods, waving his hands across the sky.

"All graduated space elementals to the gateway," Enya says, her voice echoing across the city. "I repeat, all graduated space elementals to the gateway. We're not letting it go down on our watch!" War cries erupt all across the city, tunnels opening up on the pontes around us. We watch in awe as hundreds of people around the city prepare to fight. They form into another crowd of purple around the gateway, helping to fight off the attackers.

Lyra chops her hand through the air, opening up a tunnel. We all hurry through, emerging out onto the packed dirt around the gateway. It smells like dust and metal out here, but whether that's from the land or the gateway itself, I'm not sure. A throng of people moves around us, some running toward the attacking darkness elementals. They throw everything they've got at the attackers, sending them through a dizzying amount of tunnels and back to where they started. Another crowd forms a ring around the gateway, raising their hands toward it. The gateway pulses like a heartbeat – sometimes fast and sometimes slower.

"Lyra, go help balance the gateway," Enya commands. "Carter, go with and protect her. The rest of us will deal with these idiots." Lyra nods, running off and pushing through the ring of people. Carter follows, keeping a close eye on her.

"Come on!" I yell to the rest of our group. We start sprinting towards where the darkness elementals are battling the space elementals around them. The fight is terrifyingly even, suggesting that this small group of elementals is far more powerful than we've realized. For every hit the hundreds of Stellunes get in, the attackers get two more.

"We need to contain them!" Enya shouts to me. A plan forms in my head.

"Everyone teleport them into a small area," I tell the closest elementals around me. They nod and pass on the message. Soon the darkness elementals begin to surge forward, running towards us. Tunnels open in front of them, spitting them back out right where they started. Enya roars, a ring of fire erupting around them at her command.

"Keep them inside!" She bellows. The fire grows with her words.

"Yes, your Highness!" The crowd shouts back.