The Prophesy
Chapter 15
I woke out of a sound sleep and reached for Andy but he wasn’t there. Checking my watch I realized it was only 4:00am, he was still on patrol with the others. I left a note on our bed and dressed warmly against the chill of the pre-dawn air then walked away from the camp in the direction the sun would rise. I walked a long distance into a wooded area and then followed a small stream until I came to a deep pool fed by a small waterfall. When I moved aside the underbrush the sun hit the water and I saw the markings that I’d seen in my dreams. I left Pookie there to watch the entrance and returned to camp. When I got back I told Andy about my dream and the waterfall; he sent Warriors after the people I had seen in my dream and called up his company to be ready to leave with us, then we waited. At sunset we left the encampment and traveled the path I had taken the morning before. We arrived at the pond before dawn and I whistled for Pookie, he landed on my shoulder and dropped something shiny at my feet. The coin Pookie brought me had a hole drilled in it so it could be suspended from a chain and was very old. We called Kasina, an animal telepath to see if she could gain some insight on where the owl had found it and I gave the coin to Anwar and his people to analyze while the others separated into small groups and checked around the area. By the time the sun broke through and Marie and an Amphibian Witch from Nue – Atlantia went into the pool to examine the symbols behind the falls, Pookie had shown us the place where he had found his prize. We’d also found the remains of several ancient grave mounds and another hidden entryway into Covenant. We had managed to decipher the writings on the wall and Spiriosa and Marie followed the waterway into the mountain. After several attempts they'd found a wall with identical writings to what was behind the falls. Spiriosa swam down and through an opening at the bottom of the pool while Marie treaded water and waited. When she resurfaced we had found our way into Covenant. "After I left the Water Wytche treading water because even she ould not swim that deep without breathing I came to a submersed cave opening; swimming through I then swam up and finally surfaced into a subterranian room in what I assumed to be the cellar of the old fortress judging from the things stored there. I found some stairs and followed them up three flights until I came to a trapdoor bolted from the inside." "After I managed to get it open I came out into some kind of store room and I could hear scraps of voices on the other side of the door. I couldn't make out what they were saying but it was a dialect I recognized. I tried the knob but the door wouldn't budge,I don't know if it was sealed by enchantment or just locked but either way we'll need someone on the other side to open it," explained Spiriosa. "We need a small group of Warriors, Guardians and Shapeshifters who either do not need to breath or can breath underwater to go in and find out what they can. The rest of us need to split up. Some of us need to go back and let the others know what's going on and gather weapons while we figure out what to do. I think I can rig up some kind of small air tanks from those trumpet plants over there but anyone going in with the larger group is still going to have to be a really strong swimmer." "In the meanwhile I will show everyone how to make and use the airbags. Then I'll return to the pool that leads to the underground passage and wait for someone to bring some information and lead the rest of us in. If we haven't heard from anyone in three days I'll return for the rest of you and we'll have to try something else, either way we're going in" Marie joined in. "Agreed, we also need to send people out to search for two more gates; the coin Pookie brought Blaize speaks of 'the gates of the Elements'. We have three -Earth, Water, and Spirit; that leaves Fire and Air. The ones who are returning to camp will be bringing climbing gear back when they return - as much as possible." Gran said. "We have to find the other two gates. The Prophecy says for Covenant to fall we must utilize all the 'Doorways of the Elemental Sistershood at the same time'. We need every able bodied persn and magical creature the battalian can spare and still leave enough to prevent The Dark Lord's minions from escaping. We attack at 4:00am on the 4th day." "Okay. Well since ghosts don't do well propelling down walls, who's going in with Spiriosa besides me?" Gran asked when Andy finished. I waited with forty-three other Guardians, Warriors, and Wytches in the secret room behind the huge fireplace in the ballroomn nervously looking at my watch every few minutes. Finally it was 3:45am; I pulled the lever and the wall moved. Just as we stepped out into the room 'The Ka' shimmered in through a side wall. Something was wrong. "Our Prime Objective will not allow us to directly interfere with the affairs of the living but we are concerned. There are Magickal Creatures wondering the corriders tonight and they are armed, three are outside this doorway. We have decided to open a portal into the next room so that you can come out behind them and immobilize them before they can sound an alarm. this is the most we can do. We hope this is sufficient." After the three had been put down we moved out and started quietly clearing the main floor room by room hoping to iliminate a good number of residents before we joined the others or were discovered. Those who had come in through the other gates were under orders to do the same. We had already met up with the patrol that had entered through the pantry and were just starting up the staircases when an alarm sounded above us. Abandoning any pretense of surprise we charged weapons drawn; behind us we heard a loud crash and the front door caved under the weight of a huge Minatour. In the few seconds my attention was distracted I was attacked from behind by something. The matched blades came out of their sheaves instantly as I sliced into the arm of my attacker, the creature's grip loosened just long enough for me to turn and thrust the second blade into its heart. Sheafing the blades and drawing my bow I went after a witch who was directly in front of me. Thank the goddess I spotted the blue ally lines on her face in time. "Get down," I yelled letting loose my arrow into the neck of the orge who was preparing to bash her head in. The battle for Covenant was bloody with many casualties falling on both sides, slowly though we began gaining the upper hand and were mopping up on the two bottom floors while the Shadow Warriors concentrated their efforts on destroying the Inner Circle that had barricaded themselves on the third floor. I was in the Study helping to question a large group of people who were swearing they had been held prisonor by the Elders to use as leverage against Guardian House when an Outworlder with blue ally markings on both arms asked to speak to me in the hall. Something wasn't right, I secretly placed a small knife in my sleeve and stepped out the door. "My Lady, you're wanted on the third floor to help with the Interrogation of The Council Elders, the Sea Wytche said I am to escort you." "I'll let the others know, please tell Pookie I will be there shortly." I said turning to walk back inside. "I'm sorry, Fire Wytche, but that cannot be allowed" he said grabbing me and clamping a huge hand over my mouth and nose, cutting off my air supply. I fought back and managed to draw blood before I lost conciousness. When I opened my eyes I was in a small cell with a cot and a toilet. the pain in my head told me I'd been drugged. "Hello, Is anyone there? Hello, can anyone hear me?" I screamed. "You might as well save your breath, there's no one around that can help you and if the others hear you they'll just knock you out again. You must be really important to somebody or they would have done something with you already but I wouldn't push them if I were you, Portica tried and her cell is empty now." came a female voice to my left. "And don't bother trying magic, these cells are cloaked or something - magic doesn't work here." someone else said. "How many people are in here?" ''Five counting you, now be quiet, if they catch us talking we'll all be punished." The guards had just brought us a meal and left when we heard the noise and the walls began shaking - Covenant was falling. "Stay away from the walls and hide under the cots" I screamed as the stones started crumbling. "Is everyone alright?" I asked when the rumblings stopped. "For now but what are we going to do, we're trapped here. We have to get someone's attention." a man said, yelling and shaking the door of his cell. It moved. I tried a spell hoping maybe the damages had weakened the binding spells. The door opened, by this time everyone was jerking on their cell doors so hard th stones began crumbling again from the strain. "Stop all of you! You'll bring the ceiling down on us." I screamed as I opened the doors and tried to calm everyone down. In what I presumed was the guard room we found three dead burryed by debri as they were trying to get out the door. We moved the rubble out of the way and finding the keys managed to get the door open enough to squeeze through. We moved up the passageway scrambling over rubble until we came to a place where it split and took a vote as to which way to go. I won. We went left and soon ran into another avalanche. Everyone was talking at onceabout dying before we could find our way out and how we should double back and try the other path or use their combined magic to move the stones and hopefully find the path clear on the otherside. I thought I heard a familiar sound. "Quiet everyone, I think I hear something. Listen there it is again" I said as I recognized the screech of my familiar. "It's Pookie! We're saved. He's found us." "Pookie, here Pookie over here." I called. We began pulling rocks out and started pitching them behind us trying to reach the side where the others were, then Pookie flew in through a small space at the top and Gran floated through the stones. "I knew Pookie would find you, now get back we're going to blow this open," she said giving me a hug and fading back into the blockage as we all backed away. Before the smoke even cleared I was enveloped in a pair of strong arms. "Blaize, I love you so much. I thought we'd lost you until Pookie started flying around like crazy and screeching, he sensed you and wouldn't give up, thank the Goddess." Andy said smothering me in kisses.
