CHAPTER 14: WAR BEGINS

The ground trembled below our feet as we stampeded through the village, emptying every last hut and gaining supporters with every turn. We'd turned the entire village upside down, searched every house, every corner, every boat on the dock – but Raganor was nowhere in sight. An uneasy sensation began to grow throughout the crowd, their shaky breaths and cries of frustration echoing bitterly in my head.

"Where is he?!" Karl asked, grabbing me by the shoulder.

"He's planning something," I replied telepathically, "somehow, it feels as if we're walking into a trap."

"Can't you use your power to find him like he did with you?"

"No. I've tried that, but it's no use. He's locked me out."

All of a sudden, it grew dark. A loud, ear-piercing screech shredded its way through my head. "Sela!" I could hear my brother's distant voice crying. Then I heard a loud crashing sound, followed by a humongous, blindingly bright flash. Giant, red balls of fire began to fall from the skies, smashing into the clutter of huts below. I tried to move, but my feet seemed to be nailed to the ground and my arms would not follow my brain's commands. I could do nothing but stare, wide-eyed, jaw-dropped, in complete horror, as the red and yellow flames devoured my village, bit by bit.

Screams echoed in my mind. All around me, I could see my brothers and sisters scrambling out of the fire, horrible white blisters hissing on their soot covered hands, monstrous red boils forming on their heads, their hair singed and their scalps shining. They screamed and cried in terror and in pain. Some clinging onto limp, lifeless little bodies, skin melted down to the bone. I could see Tula, sat in what remained of her little hut, cradling Tony's burnt body. Chester, weeping helplessly, clutching his lifeless mother and sister in his large, beefy arms. Morgan and Matt lay side by side in the mud near the docks, their empty, soulless eyes staring up into the black, starless sky, thick blood oozing from their mouths and noses. My last vision was the one I feared above all else: Myself, all alone by the river, my hands covered in blood, staring at the limp, yellow bodies of Karl, Henry and my mother as they floated by, the once beautiful, almost see-through, cyan waters, turning rancid and brown.

"This is what awaits you." Came the familiar, ear-splitting, spine-chilling voice of doom. "This is your fate. The fate of your silly little village. They will burn to the ground, slowly, painfully, agonizingly. You will watch them all die and wish you died with them. You will suffer for eternity."

Then came the loud, spine-chilling cackle, the laugh of death itself, awaiting his promised prize.

"NO!" I screamed, grabbing my head as I fell to the ground. "Please," I wailed, desperately, "Leave them. Take me. Do as you please with me. But please, leave them be."

"Sela?" I could hear Karl's voice in the distance.

Slowly, the darkness began to fade, the world stopped spinning and the screaming and suffering became silence. Beautiful, peaceful silence.

"Karl," I whispered, "he showed me something brutal – everyone was dead – burning – screaming-"

"No-one's dead yet, Sela," Karl whispered, calmly, "Where were you? In the vision? Where were you standing?"

"R-river," I replied, my voice trembling, tears flowing like a heavy rainfall

"Where at the river? The docks?"

I nodded; my breaths too quick to catch.

"That's where he must be, or somewhere near there."

As I stood up and tried to regain my strength, Karl turned to our people and instructed them to follow us towards the river.

"Wait!" I cried, as a thought suddenly popped into my head, "This is going to be dangerous. Many of you may die horrible, agonizing deaths. The choice is yours. You do not need to fight here today. You can be helpful in other ways, too: the children. The children must be taken far away so they can be safe. Those of you who won't fight can go with the children to the caverns beyond the Jobless Hut. He will not look for you there."

A wave of murmurs and whispers swept through the crowd. Then, the elders stepped forward. "We shall split." Exclaimed Elder Kua, a tall, skinny, wrinkly old man dressed in a long red and yellow robe, his white skin covered in tribal runes. "The elder men shall accompany you to battle, and the women shall remain in the caverns, casting protective spells and invisibility shields."

Then, one by one, people began to step forward. To sacrifice their lives for the lives of their children. Bitter tears were shed, tough, heartfelt, emotional goodbyes were said. Small children clutching their parents, screaming in fear they may never see them again. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tula kneeling down beside her little brother. "I have to do this, To," she said, stroking his curly hair, "I have to help my friends."

Tony stared at his sister, his innocent, baby blue eyes watering as his little red lips curved into a sad little smile. "I know." Said the boy, tears silently falling down his chubby little cheeks. "It's ok. I'll be ok. Just promise me you will too."

"She will be," I said as Tula scooped the little boy into her arms, nodding through choked sobs. "I'm going to bring her back to you, I promise."

Tula placed Tony back on the ground and gave him one last wet kiss goodbye. He turned around and trotted after the rest of the children. "You'll see him again," I assured Tula, holding her hand tightly in mine. Together, we made our way back to the center of the crowd, where Matt, Morgan, Karl and Chester were waiting for us.

"So, we're actually doing this, huh?" Matt chuckled.

Karl grinned his large, mischievous grin, "Fighting off weevils and using magic to distract evil grandpa so Sela can summon a death charm? Yep, we're totally doing that."

"Raganor doesn't stand a chance," said Henry, emerging from the crowd.

Henry, Karl and I led the people towards the docks and the riverbed. As we stood by the water, our swords, pitchforks, spears, harpoons and knives at the ready, we could see a faint shape materializing in the distance. As it grew closer, we noticed that it was not one shape, but many. It was a pod of 17 fully grown water weevils, fangs bared, claws snared, and spines sharpened, acidic blue venom dripping from their terrible clawed tails. Leading the weevils was an unrecognizable figure. He was tall and slender, his skinny, wrinkly little arms were now thick and muscly, his cloudy white hair was now a thick, black, matted mane, a bearskin cloak draped over his large, bare chest. Similarly to Kua, he had ancient runes tattoed all over his tanned body. His once cloudy, blue eyes had become flaming red. As he stared at me, his mouth curved into a hideous, sharp, yellow-toothed grin.

"You fools!" Raganor cackled loudly, "You have followed this deranged child to your doom."