Rise From the Ashes

Chapter Eleven: The Battle of Flagport

(NARRATED BY TRAVIS GUILDER)

The moment our soldiers clashed with theirs, I realized this battle would be fierce. There were explosions, bullets, swords, and spells being cast, but no sign of any Brotherhood member using powers yet.

They're saving them for later, Sarah told me. Powers require more energy than spells do.

Meanwhile, the Prophecy children weren't able to do much at all. Sure, Levi was a pretty good shot with his bow, but I knew it wouldn't be enough. Only half an hour had passed, yet the enemy managed to break through three series of barricades, with seven remaining. They now formed an arched formation around the semicircular lines of defense, prompting more of our troops to move to reinforce the flanks. While the skilled marksmen were able to take down Shadow Warriors easily enough with either shots to the chest or head as the lifeless belligerents advanced without any priority of self-preservation, those Shadow Warriors provided cover for the living soldiers armed with rockets, grenades, and machine guns. With the capture of each line of defense, the harder it became to repel the human hostiles. They fired bullets our way every so often, but an invisible barrier blocked them each time. Sarah called it a "ward."

"Is it breakable?" I asked.

"Of course. Every ward is only as strong as its builder," she explained. "Once the Naridans tire out, it will disappear."

"Wonderful."

It was then that I looked over at Elli, whose eyes were completely covered in blue light. And as I watched her, completely dumbfounded, she slowly got to her feet, faced the ocean out west, and then raised her arms as though she were lifting up something heavy.

"What's that noise?" Sarah uttered. "Sounds like a waterfall."

When it stopped, Lamerio looked up and gasped, "Oh my...."

Above our heads, there was a giant sheet of water floating midair. Elli kept her arms raised, and after shutting and reopening her eyes, they appeared normal again. Having woken up from her trance, she closed her hands into fists and then reopened them. Once she did that, the water froze rapidly, yet remained in the sky. Elli then spread her arms, and the ice split into deadly shards, which she threw at the enemy with a shoving motion. They took out about a quarter of the Shadow Army.

"I did it!" Elli proclaimed with a grin, panting heavily.

"Well, Travis and I can do better than that," Sarah huffed. She turned to me. "Come on, Lover Boy. Let's do this!"

I thought the idea was crazy, but I played along anyway. I rose to my feet with her.

The gods are trying to help us, she thought. Let your mind be taken over.

How do you know this? I asked.

Just trust me.

After meditating with her for a few seconds, something powerful took hold of my body. And with that, a bright, red light filled my vision. By the time I could see again, I was physically possessed by the fire god Pyro. A wave of heat rose to my clenched fists. And when I opened them, huge jets of flame shot forth from my palms. Acting as Pyro's puppet, I tugged my arms, aiming at the Shadow Warriors. By the time Sarah and I regained control of our bodies, most of them had been wiped out. Even though we were both exhausted, that didn't stop us from giving each other a high-five.

"That was amazing!" I told her.

"Thanks! You weren't half bad yourself, hot stuff."

We retook our positions, kneeling on the ground.