Agartha

Chapter eight

The king would soon arrive, and I would have to go back home to take the children to their parents and have no idea when we will return. Someone else will be given the responsibility of guarding her. Is a good thing, I guess? The distance will help me to accept Galia and I are better off apart.

The king was on his way home. Work was abundant but it was good, it was an excuse to stay away from Galia. I could see her from afar, lecturing the children in the garden while I was delivering instructions to some soldiers. Out of the sudden, the warning horn sounded at the distance, the repetitive sound indicated the danger was already inside the security perimeter, how is that possible! “Galia! Hide the children in the dungeons!”

Everybody ran outside to the wide terrain in front of the palace’s main entrance. We watch in horror how beasts and wizards from the dark land emerged from the ground at the road that connected other lands to this one. They had excavated tunnels to get here unseen!

We started the defensive attack with arrows to try to stop them from entering the castle. The ground of the castle was the first defense, then there was the center and the elves camp, then the markets and lastly, the rivers and villages surrounded by mountains.

There was no time. Elves could deal with the beasts, but the wizards were too many for the little number of green wizards left in this land. The enemy had the beasts armed with shields, arrows, swords and spears too. The queen called Holger, the commander and the second commander. She asked each to shield her granddaughter, Galia’s grandmother and herself. The warriors placed themselves in front covering both with their elves impenetrable shields and the queen expelled a rush of energy that placed the six of them forward closer to the horde.

The queen screamed “NOW!” and the three witches lifted their hands as high as their chests and blue energy released forming a haze, like a tall wall a few feet away from their location. One of the black land wizards yelled “NO!”. All the arrows targeted them and could penetrate the wall, but the shields and the strength of the protective elves kept them safe. The wizards tried to hit the wall with energy, but it jumped back every time, knocking them to the ground. In matter of seconds they arrived at the wall. There was, easily, fifty beasts and a hundred wizards. The giant bears crashed against the wall unable to cross.

They kept trying every trick they had but it was useless. Every side kept firing arrows at each other, but the shields made it unable to reduce any side’s army. We had eighty elf warriors who could defeat easily the beasts, but we couldn’t fight the witches and wizards, they had too many on their side and we had 30, only four royals. Using dark magic, they had the advantage. The wall was our only protection until Erik, the king and the other strong royals arrived.

Erik had the duty of evacuating the villagers to the secret paths in the mountains only Galia´s family magic could open. He left floating in a rush of energy. Hours were passing and the queen was getting weaker. Every time they hit the wall, they shook. We were desperate, only the royal family had the strength to form the wall, and it took at least two of them. Kiryat passed out of exhaustion on the commander’s arms, and the wall debilitated, it took all the queen and Asaf’s strength to keep it tall enough. They would soon faint too. I had no strategy; we needed the other royals.

The commander brought Kiryat to a safe place, inside the palace. Galia came running and was holding her hand calling her name desperate. She slightly opened her eyes and mouth and weakly said “Galia you can help them, you are strong...”

“I have no idea how!”

Kiryat tightened on Galia’s grip, “we are lost if they pass, just think of a regular haze and solidify it, please...”

“I’ve practically never used magic, I have so much energy is hard to control, this has to work...”

Without previous notice, Galia grabbed me by the hand and almost dragged me outside.

“Shield me, General, I need to focus, and you are the only one I feel safe with”

I felt honored and didn’t hesitate, lifted my shield and walked her cautiously towards her grandma. She and the queen looked about to faint, Galia placed us between her elders, lifted her hands and a haze started to form just a little behind the wall, it was growing slowly, and she kept her eyes closed, I was facing her with my shield on my back protecting us from the arrows and spears.

The haze started to shine in bright blue, and it solidified expelling the beasts yards away!

“Holger! Commander! Take my grandmother and the queen inside, I’ll take it from now. Help them recover so they replace me later, we’ll take turns”

“No!” The grandmother cried falling on the second commander’s arms and the wall fell down “Is too much for you, my child!”

The beasts saw the falling of the wall and attacked but Galia’s wall was strong.

“There’s no other standing royal left in the palace, I assume the command of this land!” By saying that, her voice echoed her eyes opened glowing blue like I’d never seen, looking up at the edge of her wall. She was astonishing...

Her proximity, her strength, her beauty… A spear got me out of guard against the shield and made us tremble, the wall shook.

“General! I need you focused to protect me!”

“Yes, your highness!”

Four hours passed and I could tell she was debilitating. Keeping that wall by herself was outstanding, almost impossible and it’s been too long.

Holger was helping to evacuate the people to bring back the prince and get Galia some help but It would take too long, he came back. I’m not sure Erik will make it on time.

A tear rolled down Galia’s cheek, glowing like a diamond. “I can’t take it for too much longer” Her voice was sad and shaky.

“Look at me! You are the strongest witch I’ve ever met! You have to hold on until your cousin returns!”

She gave me the most beautiful smile, laid her head on my shoulder and supported her elbows against her sides. She must be soared…

I was becoming more worried by the minute; the wall will fall before her cousin returned and this would be a bloodbath. I would try to save Galia and the children everything else is lost. Suddenly, the horn sounded like a tune… Aid was arriving! Erik will help her!

It wasn’t Erik. The strongest royals arrived floating fast towards us. Antinoo placed his hand on his weakened granddaughter “My child, I’m proud of you, you can let go now” She lifted her head and spoke softly, like almost fainting “Grandpa...”

“Ragnar, take her to a safe place and stay by her side and the children no matter what. If something happens, take them, the queen and Asaf to your king”

“But the battle! You need my help!”

“No. We can take this. Leave your soldiers under Holger’s command. I need you to protect them”

I did as I was told. Without hesitation, lifted Galia on my shoulder which broke the spell and the wall felt down. The battle began right away, and it was bloody, I ran as fast as I could killing everything in my path to take Galia to a safe place, she couldn’t even speak, took the children on my way to the healing tent and got her some help.