CHAPTER IX
Aerien felt as if someone had drenched her bones with icy cold water. Like an invisible noose hung around her neck, threatening to strangle her very next instant. Her hands were trembling as she tried to get a better grip on her sword. She had been trying to avoid this. But now, she had no other way out. She never had another way out. All around her, the ground erupted and from it came out giant, venomous and lethal scorpions. Their rigid red shells giving off some kind of glow. Turmoil and confusion broke among Amun’s army while the enemy rejoiced. But Aerien was not paying attention to all the chaos going around her. Her eyes were fixed upon the dark dome just below the tail of the wicked mark, where it had cast its ghastly shadow. Somehow she knew that it was not a part of their world. It was a doorway. A doorway newly opened by Urkbane for his master to come back from the land of shadows. It must be stopped. She must stop it. But how could she, when she was trembling so badly?
“Do not despair.” Ithil muttered to her, in a soft voice. Aerien looked at her understanding eyes, wishing that she could find some courage.
“Do you believe I can do it?” She whispered, as if afraid to speak aloud.
Ithil gently took her hands and kissed it. “The sword has chosen you. You have more than you know. I know that you will not fail us. I believe it.”
“But I have failed others before.”
“You were alone Aerien. But now you are not.” Idril said with a reassuring smile.
They are right. I never had help before. But still it did not exactly lift up her heart.Hadn't she known this? Hadn't she be been anticipating this?
“So…um…we must go to the dark dome.” She said trying to sound upbeat. But failed miserably.
Ithil looked at her with concern.
“We don’t have time.” Idril said. “We will protect you.”
“You will need this Aerien.” Ithil said, giving her a bow and quiver with arrows. Aerien accepted it and dashed towards the dome, dodging the enemy. As promised, Ithil and Idril protected her. Aerien barely needed to use her weapons.
The legendary sword bearer now scampers towards the evil Abadon with nothing but a sword and a few arrows but not a speck of courage. How heroic. Aerien thought to herself miserably as Idril killed another one of Folvar's men. Only if she could be surer of herself.
As she reached near the dome, she could see that it was actually mist. Black mist. Spread like a death’s veil. Dismal filled her heart as she approached it. The protection was thinner towards the dome. It aroused her suspicion. Could it be that Urkbane has assumed that no one would be able to get through the scorpions? Clearly they were a distraction. But no one to guard the entrance of the dome?
A low rumbling sound told her that she was wrong. Looking up, she saw why the creatures of darkness were dreaded. What was meant was true peril.
The creature looming above her head was at least six foot tall, strong built, formidable creature. It had huge looming, wings of fire. Its head looked like a cross between a boar and a dog, which would have been funny if it had not been for his eyes. Its eyes were pure darkness. Aerien somehow knew that looking directly into them would cause her pain, agony like never before. So she instead focused on the ground. But Ithil and Idril did not know that and they did the mistake of looking directly into them. They instantly fell down on the ground, twitching in pain and anguish. That was the menace of Urkbane, greatest and most powerful servant of Abadon. Aerien could feel his gaze upon her. But he did not seem to acknowledge Dûrsigil.
But just when all hope seemed to be lost, like a silver light came Herod ridding on a swift horse, with his sword Alething in his hand.
“Go away Urkbane! You shall not succeed in your foul plans. Leave them alone.” He said and the darkness seemed to lift up a little. Urkbane turned away from Aerien and faced Herod, giving Aerien a perfect opportunity to go into the dome. The sudden change of events had lifted up her heart. Seeing her friends in pain, she felt a sudden surge of courage, warming her whole body. She tightly clasped Dûrsigil in her hands and ran into the dome of darkness.
Aerien had thought that she knew pain. But she was wrong. Inside the dome she felt that she was being crushed. Like the weight of the whole world was upon her shoulders. Like she would be squeezed into nothingness. She felt as if she was drowning. She felt suffocated. She could not breathe. But she went on. The sword which had always seemed well balanced felt strangely heavy and foreign.
How strange! It always seemed to give me courage and power but now it seems no more than ordinary swords. She thought. And that was when it hit her. The whole missing pieces came together to form a single clear picture. Another trap. Treachery.
She looked at the centre of the dome. A small crack. And a creature was trying to break it. Abadon. She was supposed to strike him down as soon as he emerged. Before he rose to power. And that was the best way. But now she decided otherwise. In the middle of all the chaos, she suddenly felt confident of herself. She had a plan. A plan which would probably cost her life. She had to kill Abadon. But not now. Not today. It had to be in another way. There is always another way. When all hope is lost, a silver ray remains. Hope, the bird which sings before the dawn can be found even in the darkest of all times.
Aerien put the sword in its sheath. Anyone who would have seen her would have called it madness. But she cared not. She removed an arrow from the quiver and fitted it in her bow. Taking an aim was difficult. The wind was swirling around her. Her chances were minute. But she had only one shot. Aerien took a deep breath and relaxed. Her aim was just in front of her. She pulled the string and let it go. The arrow shot off. She did not see the arrow hit its mark. But she knew that it must have. Because just then, the whole dome was blown up. A huge wall of force hit Aerien and she was thrown high into the air landing on something hard. The whole world spun before her eyes. She could feel the warm liquid soaking her clothes. She could hear the sound of bone cracking amidst the numerous murmurings before darkness engulfed her.
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Hello my dear readers ^_^
Thank you for reading. Sorry but this chapter is short... D:
The next chapter would be the last ch of The Dawn Of Night(Book I)
I will continue writing here...but it may take some time, pl keep reading!!
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THE LAST LIGHT
FantasiShe remembered the day the Great War came to an end. She was five at that time. Everyone was rejoicing but her mother cried, her brother had shut himself up in his room. They told her that her father was dead. But she did not understand, she did not...
