Spirit Animals - The Ten Keepers [Book One]

Chapter Seven - The Four Fallen

Riley's POV

Riley and the others followed Eric as they walked through the hallways to meet Olvan. She found herself walking beside John. The first day she had met John, she felt her heart beating, a feeling she had never felt before. Whenever she was around John, her heart began beating and she turned shy around him.

"So Riley," John said, "What's it like living in Zhong?"

"Fine I guess," she replied, "Mostly boring cause there's nothing much for me to do. What's it like leaving in Eura?"

"Fun," he answered, "I'm known as the trouble maker."

Riley giggled and she saw John smile a bit. Up ahead, George was talking with Eilene. They seemed to be in a serious conversation.

"Oh, i'm really sorry Eilene," she managed to hear George say.

"It's nothing really," she mumbled, "Past it past."

Up ahead, Eric opened a door and they entered into a big room with a big table in the middle. Olvan was standing on the other side, talking urgently with Lenori. Riley spotted a huge moose nearby.

Must be Olvan's Spirit Animal, she thought.

They both looked up as they entered the room.

"Good, you're all here," Olvan said.

"Even though we still don't know why exactly we're here," John added.

"Now you will," Olvan explained, "Lenori had a vision that ten kids will summon a certain Spirit Animal and will be able to free those who are captured."

"What do you mean by free those who are captured?" Irene asked.

"We believe that there is a second Devourer," Olvan sighed, "Meaning there will be a second war."

"The Devourer?" Zoey whispered.

"A long time ago," Eric spoke, "There was another continent called Stetroil. Kovo the Ape and Gerathon the Serpent sided with the king of Stetroil known as the Devourer. He mustered an army called the Conquerors and to our surprise, all of them had a Spirit Animal. Never before had there been many Marked people."

"That's when the Greencloaks came," Ella added, "Four of the Great Beast sided with us. Briggan the Wolf, Essix the Falcon, Jhi the Panda, and Uraza the Leopard. You know them as the Four Fallen for Kovo and Gerathon had killed them but the Greencloaks had won. Tellun the Elk, leader of the Great Beasts imprisoned Kovo and Gerathon until now."

"We made sure we erased every single information of Stetroil," Sam spoke, "Now we believe that a second Devourer has risen. Zhong has already fallen to the Conquerors. They are after the talismans so they could free Kovo and Gerathon. Luckily, a prophecy long forgotten has been fulfilled. The Four Fallen has returned, summoned as Spirit Animals. The Four Fallen and their human partners reached the Granite Ram from Arax the Ram before the Conquerors did."

"In fact, they should be here soon," Lenori added.

There was a knock on the door and a strong looking Greencloak entered the room, followed by four kids. Then a wolf, a leopard, a panda, and a falcon followed after. They looked at them in surprise.

"Looks like we have some visitors," the Amayan boy with the falcon said.

"This is Rollan, summoner of Essix," Olvan introduced, "Meilin, summoner of Jhi, Abeke, summoner of Uraza and Conor, summoner of Briggan."

"Uh nice to meet you," Meilin said, "Now who are they?"

"Lenori had a vision that there will be ten kids who will summon a certain Spirit Animal and can free those who are captured," John answered, "Whatever that means."

"Olvan," the adult Greencloak said, "I believe Abeke has something important to say."

The Niloan girl spoke, "When I was still with the Conquerors, I saw them drink some sort of liquid that turned a happy, kind dog into a fierce beast. I think the humans also drink this which forces a bond with a Spirit Animal. It's not a real bond, they control them."

Uneasy murmuring filled the room.

"Not only had that happened," Olvan added, "There were sightings of huge, fierce animals. We believe that those animals had turned huge when they wore the Great Beast's talismans. Half of the talismans have turned animals into fierce beasts while the other half are with the other Great Beasts."

"You Keepers are responsible to retrieve the talismans from the huge, fierce beasts," Lenori said, "While the Four Fallen and their partners will go to the other Great Beasts and get the talismans before the Conquerors."

"Lenori had a recent vision of the Marble Swan," Eric told them, "Ninani's talisman which makes the Nectar. We need to retrieve it before the Conquerors."

"Did you have any other dreams Conor?" Lenori asked.

"No, not yet," Conor answered hesitantly.

"We better leave now then," Eric spoke.

"What? But we didn't have our break yet," John protested.

"Well is it the break or saving Erdas?" Eilene snapped.

John glared at her but said nothing.

"Where are we supposed to find the Marble Swan?" Riley asked.

Olvan answered, "Amaya."