A Dance of Two Worlds

A Masterstroke. And Another

Chapter Forty-One

A Masterstroke. And Another

Of all the human qualities, change of heart, the will to turn back on evil and embrace righteousness, is something one should firmly believe in.

Elisium.

5L 21/21/20/18

"Keep your eyes open and move very carefully."

George ordered his men as they slowly began to move towards the Demon's Entrance. It was an unusually warm day for this time of the year. Thankfully a cool breeze was blowing from the riverside which was helping everyone smother their jingling nerves.

This was the first mission for the majority of George's men. Since no enemies had left the secured perimeter very little action was expected here, but still there were tense faces and sweaty palms all around.

George had reluctantly agreed to approach their target from all four sides on David's insistence. Originally he had planned to barge there through the main road which was maintained by Aden's army, but David was able to convince his father that if somehow enemies had sneaked out of their fortress, this direct assault could lead to heavy casualties. A more cautious approach might enable them to snare any enemies present there and also comb the perimeter for any traps. They finally agreed to sweep a mile's radius around their target.

George led the unit that approached the Demon's entrance from the main highway and took Jennifer with him. He kept a close eye on his daughter He wanted her to get involved, but didn't want her to take any risks just yet.

***

Jennifer was edgy right from the moment she disembarked from her truck. Something was bothering her but she was unable to pinpoint it. She kept anxiously looking at her surroundings for some clues and then she saw it. A jacaranda tree, with peculiar shades of bright blue and dark maroon flowers. This was the rarest variety of the fern tree and this sight sent her mind racing. Flashes from her visions flooded her mind. Jennifer knew what was about to follow. She had seen that in her visions.

She halted in her steps and shouted, "Freeze. Don't move. Pass the message and tell everyone to stop right now. Don't even take a step. Quickly pass the message. Everyone, freeze." Jennifer was drenched in sweat and manically snapping her fingers.

Everyone around her was startled by this sudden outburst, but they all knew that Jennifer knew things that they didn't. The message was relayed as quickly as possible and soldiers stopped their charge. George came near his daughter but before he could ask anything they heard a loud explosion. And then another.

"Nooooooo!!!!!!" Jennifer sank to her knees and let out a cry of anguish. She exactly knew what had happened.

One after another more than a dozen blasts rocked the riverbanks. All the chaos was happening on the other side of the river. Jennifer stood there staring helplessly at the clouds of smoke rising in the air and listening to the gut-wrenching shrieks that followed them.

You knew what will happen and still, that happened. What good are your powers?

Gradually the explosions stopped and there was an ominous silence that gnawed at the souls and haunted the hearts. No one spoke or moved, they just waited for news from the other bank with their hearts in their mouths.

About half an hour later, Jennifer saw her brother limping towards them. His left forearm was bleeding and his pants were drenched in blood.

"Oh my God! You look badly hurt." George rushed to check on his son.