VALKYRIE

Chapter 12: Eric's POV

Faun smiled at Juno and said,"Perfect." Then she hardened her face and told everyone to stay inside.

"I am going to put up the barrier now. Please be patient as I am outside," she finished.

Before she left, Faun said,"I am sure some others can do a strong barrier spell, but you should come as well," she told Juno.

She nodded. "Come," she said, and beckoned for Juno to follow.

"Arie? Pora, Sari? You come as well." They all went outside, and I walked over to the grimy window.

I wiped off a layer of dirt and dust, and peered through the gritty glass. The Valkyries outside were lifting their hands in perfect harmony.

Small, indigo, fiery wisps of magic were snaking around and slowly encircled the Valkyries. They circled around the building and gradually got bigger as their hands reached out.

The indigo flames met and began to make a huge dome around the building. As soon as the dome completely covered the building, it stretched out to protect an area with a radius of almost three miles.

The Valkyries then came back inside. Juno resumed her position by me, and her hand slipped into mine. I tilted my head and looked at her.

"I didn't know you could do magic like that," I told her.

"Neither did I," she responded. We shared a small smile.

"Everyone must come outside," Faun called. She led everyone outside, and Juno and I shuffled slowly behind the crowd of Valkyries.

Once everyone was outside, Faun called,"VALKYRIES, TO ARMS!" All the Valkyries besides Juno either flew up into the air, making a huge layered circles, or made rows on the ground.

They unsheathed their swords, raised their spears, clutched their shields, raised their hands, and notched their arrows.

They put on the bravest faces I had ever seen. Some looked angry, some looked disgusted, and some looked emotionless.
But we could all feel in the tension of the moment that above all, the only emotion anyone felt was fear. Sheer, utter, horrifying fear.

I felt it.

Juno felt it.

Faun felt it.

Arie felt it.

Pora, Sari, Dahn, Mena, and Anda felt it.

We all did.

Every single one of us.

I heard a thunderous roar coming from the distance. The ground vibrated from the thousands of steps of running soldiers.

The Dark Soldiers were here. Juno and I looked at each other in shock and horror. We both squeezed each other's hands so tightly it began to hurt. We still didn't let go.

"VALKYRIES! READY! ATTACK!" Faun shouted. As the soldiers got nearer, the Valkyries flying in the air shot continuous streams of arrows.

Occasionally, some would explode after making contact with something. Other arrows were on fire. I watched, breathlessly, as the first Dark Soldier ran at the barrier. He crashed into it and vaporized into black mist.

More soldiers tried, but every one of them vaporized. Eventually they stopped trying and waited. A few soldiers with bows and arrows shot some at the barrier.

As soon as they hit the barrier, they splintered and were crushed. One soldier(who wasn't very bright) threw his sword at the force field, and it melted into a liquid puddle of metal.

Faun came over and found us. When she did, she put a hand on my shoulder, then she put her other hand on Juno's shoulder.

"I will transport you to just outside of the Dark Leader's lair. Do exactly what I told you. If you need me, use the necklace. Good luck," Faun said.

"Thank you, Faun," I told her. "We could never have done this without your help."

Juno nodded, and her eyes filled with tears.

"Goodbye," she said, throwing her arms around Faun. They hugged for a while, then after a few moments broke their embrace.

Juno laced her fingers with mine again. I felt fireworks inside me every time we touched.

I was in love with her.

But now was no time to struggle with that. Faun repositioned her hand on Juno's shoulder.

"Are you ready?" She asked. Juno and I nodded. Faun took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Juno and I looked each other in the eyes.

Then everything went black.