Chapter 30

“Halt! Who goes there?”

Just then there are great roars from the dragons in the sky, but many more roars then their ten dragons can account for. As they ride further through the woods more and more soldiers pour out to surround them.

This one young Knight of Andromeda rides forward and with courtesy and honor bows to the White Sorceress before saying, “We have come to escort you to the Crevice of Souls. Though it has not been found in a thousand years I will tell you what the Books of Knowledge tells us about it.”

“Thank you, Knight of Andromeda.”

“Please, mistress, call me Steven.”

“Steven?”

“Yes, Great Protector.”

“How is it you knew we were coming?”

“The Goddess Andromeda told us.”

Knowing that nothing is for free Sorbo starts yelling out for Andromeda. She does not appear so Sorbo says, “Dakota, you call her.”

“Andromeda.”

With a flash she appears to the White Sorceress. “Yes, princess Dakota, how may I serve you?”

But it is Sorbo who talks to her. “You sent word to our friends here and since no action goes without a reaction, what is allowed to happen now? It appears you either have no confidence in us or you are purposely allowing all sides to get into this equally. You seem to be ... Well, I don’t know fully yet what your game is. Whose side are you on exactly?”

“How dare you!” The five hundred Knights of Andromeda go pale at the audacity of Sorbo speaking to their and his goddess that way.

“Please, Andromeda, it does seem counterproductive to do something when you know it will strengthen your enemy.” says Sorbo.

“I have no enemy and it is not about one thing being stronger than another, it is about nature and existence being in balance, as it must be.”

“It seems to me you gods are preparing to give the world a good cleansing. Will all of that bloodshed give the balance you are looking for?”

But Andromeda ignores Sorbo and asks, “Is there anything else White Sorceress?” Dakota looks over at Sorbo with big eyes and then shrugs her shoulders. “Good! Goodbye for now.”

“Wait!”

“Yes.”

“Were you the one who left the copy of the White Sorceress Prophecy in my room?”

“Yes, Dakota.”

“Why?”

Andromeda looks at Sorbo and says, “Please just study it.” and with that and a flash she is gone once and again.

“She is starting to annoy me.”

“Sorbo, please, we need her on our side.”

“Dakota, I’m sorry, but I think the only side the gods are on is their side.”

Not waiting for their new escorts to understand, they start traveling east-southeast again. Along with the ten new dragons of light that joined their original ten, and with five hundred Knights of Andromeda they don’t bother to try and move with stealth. In fact, it seems, at times Steven, the head knight for this kingdom, is purposely taking them through every village both big and small to show off the White Sorceress. They very rarely travel in a straight line for long and Sorbo is becoming agitated, and Cathy and Dakota can see trouble brewing.

Luckily, or not so, a situation is about to arise that will change things dramatically. As they are traveling through a medium village Steven says, “I don’t remember ever being in this village.”

As they are riding through, the people that number close to forty, start walking towards Dakota with big smiles on their faces as if their whole lives have come to this point. Just as they get to the outer ring of Dakota’s protection, who won’t let them get any closer, they transform. Their eyes go red, their teeth go long and their fingernails turn into claws.

“Reapers!” The forces of light draw their weapons and begin to kill the creatures that the stories of vampires came from. It is daylight and they do not care.

Cathy and Dakota start blasting into their ranks with their wands. The centaurs get up to speed and continuously hit their line causing great devastation. The minotaurs surround Dakota, so Sorbo goes on the hunt. Just as it seems they are getting the upper hand they hear their dragons scream in rage as they try to catch the scorpion harpies that are coming in by the hundreds. They hit the ranks of the Knights of Andromeda, knocking many from their horses and impaling others with their scorpion-like poisonous tails.

There is no time to retreat. If they break and run now, they die. “Form up! Form up!”

While putting Dakota in the very center, the forces of light create an impenetrable wall of shields, swords and spears. Grunts and screams of rage can be heard for stretches away. They are slowly cutting their enemy down, but just when they are about to break and run a Loki’s Dragon comes in heading right for the center of the mass of warriors. Just before the black dragon lets loose with his fiery spray, Lender comes in and collides with him. They go tumbling through the air and crashing into the woods with great force. Something more than trees break.

“Lender,” Sorbo hears Dakota cry out.

With the wall of spears, the scorpion harpies know they cannot reach Dakota and the Reapers are all but dead. Hundreds of allied warriors are hurt or dead.

“Gather the Reapers, we must burn them. Also I am sorry, but anybody wounded by one must also be put down.”

“No, Sorbo.”

“I’m sorry, baby, but they will turn into one very soon if we don’t. These are warriors of light and they know the risks and their duties.” Just then seven Knights of Andromeda fall on their own swords.

“No!” Cathy rides over and puts her arm around Dakota’s shoulders and starts leading her away from the carnage.

“Centaurs and minotaurs go with them. Steven put a hundred of your men with the White Sorceress and then we’ll burn the whole town when we burn the bodies.”

“That will start a forest fire.”

“Yes it will, but there is nothing to do about it now. This has to be done. When we are several stretches away start the fires and then catch up to us.”

Just then Lender comes limping out of the forest. “Lender, are you okay?”

“I am fine, Dakota. I will have to walk for a while since I sprained my wing, but I will be fine.”

“Pull out!”

At times it seems the forest fire might catch up to them, but on the second night out from the ambush a big rainstorm comes blowing in. It makes things miserable and it is going to slow them down on a trip that has already taken too long, but the extra cloak of secrecy it brings with it levels things out.

Sorbo takes over command of all the forces and arrays them as to give Dakota the greatest protection. At every camp Cathy is on his left and Dakota is on his right snuggling as close as the three of them can. Sorbo believes things to be well in hand, but every time he believes that, something bad happens.

It takes them another few days but when the forest allows for it they can see Lara’s Mountains directly to their east so they know if they continue east-southeast they will come to the Finton Prairie, and the Crevice of Souls is rumored to be just inside there, in sight of Lara’s Mountains.

When the Finton Prairie opens up before them it is like a breath of fresh air for the confinement of the woodlands had become oppressive. “Oh, they are lovely.”