Rise From the Ashes

Chapter Eight: The Brotherhood

(NARRATED BY TRAVIS GUILDER)

Unsurprisingly, Mom didn't believe our story.

"A giant wolf, a wall of fire, and three shadow Warriors?" She shook her head. "Sorry, Travis, but that doesn't make sense."

"Also, what're you kids doing with weapons like that?" demanded my father. "I don't recall ever making you a sword."

The five of us had since rescued Megan from Town Hall. She now stood with us while I debriefed my parents on everything that had taken place. Meanwhile, every other person in the room stared at me like I was insane.

I took a deep breath. "Listen, I know I've kept a lot of secrets from you, but I promise I'm telling the truth."

"He's right," said Sarah, whose eyes were still red from crying. "You should trust your son. He's a great guy." None of us mentioned a word about Sarah's father since she stabbed him. All of the emotional whiplash she had gone through the past couple of days must've been hard on her.

"I second Sarah's opinion," added Levi.

"She's spot on," Elli chimed.

"I am the Prince of Oarons," Lamerio announced. "There is no need to bow."

My mother cleared her throat with discomfort. "Maybe we should save this conversation for another time—"

"No," I objected. "It's now or never."

Silence flooded the room, until my father finally broke it: "Dear, I think these kids are telling the truth. They might be the ones the Blessed Nations have been waiting for."

Levi's father stepped forward. "Hank, you're not saying that my son..."

He made a halfhearted grin. "Trust your dreams, cupcake. Remember?"

Elli's dad shivered, as if recalling a bad memory. "Guilder, don't ever quote Samson again."

Now everyone was staring at them like they were insane.

"Hey, guys," said Levi, "look outside!"

Immediately, everyone went to look out the windows. There was a huge line of military vehicles stopped at the edge of town. Since the Convention Center was settled on a hill and they weren't far off, so I was even able to see five men pile out.

"Wait, is that...?" Levi's father gasped. "Hank, are you seeing this?"

My father said nothing.

"I say we give them a piece of our mind," growled Mr. Craydell. "I've been waiting a long time for that guy to show up." He abruptly turned and marched out of the room, while the rest of us followed.

When we reached a short distance from the front of the vehicle line, the five men from before were there waiting for us. Their uniforms consisted of formal, buttoned up shirts and slacks, though each one was different in color: being red, blue, yellow, green, and purple.

According to their name tags, their last names were Moreilene, Cantrell, Irenio, Ellis, and Narivado. The one named Narivado—a tall, burly looking man wearing a pair of sunglasses—was dressed in purple. He retrieved a megaphone out of thin air and handed it to Moreilene, the guy in red.

Moreilene was about an inch or so under six feet tall, had a head of dirty-blonde, military-cut hair that suited his bold expression and dark brown eyes, and wore the star rank of a general on each shoulder. "Attention!" he announced through the noise-amplifying device. "We come without harm!"

"No need for the megaphone," I said, approaching him. "Just tell us what you want."

Taking one good look at me, the dude in the sunglasses blew a bubble with his chewing gum. "Hey, sir," he said in a low, captivating voice, "I have a feeling your Prophecy cupcakes might be closer than you think."