An Unexpected Arrival

A man in a vermillion cape held out his hand as a torrent of swords fell on the charred skeleton like deadly rain.

The blades cut at the blackened bones, scraping bits away to reveal the unblemished white underneath.

The skeleton fended off the swords, swatting at them with the scythes of its fingers. But no matter how many were deflected, twice as many took their place to attack. The force of each sword's strike was stronger than the last. The earth quaked.

The fiendish devil was thrown back, temporarily relieving the soldiers from the onslaught. They breathed sighs of relief and looked upon the sword-wielder.

The man in the red cape exuded power and strength. He had not come to destroy humanity, but defend it!

This was great, only…

"How did a human come through a Gate?"

Noble tilted her head. Had another Portcullis Key been found?

"The King has returned to the Waking World." Gui's jaw was tense as he stared at the screen. "He didn't come through a Gate. He made one."

"How is that possible?!" Director Siv was reluctant to believe his own eyes.

Noble had the same question. A Saint could bring a person or two back and forth from the Dream Realm, but creating a gate?

The amount of power that was needed for that was unfathomable.

Yet this king, whoever he was, had done it.

Noble got a strange feeling of unease in her stomach.

On the screen, the swords and the skeleton were locked in a titanic battle that obliterated the already broken landscape. Somehow the torrent of swords had pushed back the abomination, protecting the outpost from further damage. The lesser abominations, too, were dispatched quickly by the blades at an appalling speed.

The civilians, who had been cowering, came out from their hideouts at the stunning turn of events. They gawked at the mighty being in crimson as if drawn to him by some invisible force.

Over the mayhem, a single word filled the air.

"Come."

Even from the other side of the screen, Noble felt the pull of the king. His voice was commanding to the point it was impossible to ignore.

If they even wanted to.

"Director? Chancellor?" Dimi spoke for the first time. He was as dazed by the events as the wedding guests. "Are you still there?"

"We are here," Fort confirmed as Gui drew closer to Noble's husband.

Dimi's communicator shifted back to his rugged face. "What do we do?"

The Chancellor rubbed his forehead. Normally he would lean at least partially on the wisdom of Cor, Thane, or any of his Directors and other advisors. They would reason and debate the pros and cons of each option before ultimately coming to a conclusion.

But this was war. Human lives were at stake. They needed to work quickly.

Taking the device from Fort's hand, Gui spoke slowly into it. "Dimi, this is the Chancellor. You said your commander is dead?"

"Yes," Dimi nodded.

Gui's mouth pulled tight. "You're getting a field promotion, General. Gather any civilians you can find and escort them to the gate. Keep us updated and don't stop until the task is complete."

"Yes, Sir." Dimi gave a modified salute.

The screen went dark.

The murmurs of the crowd went wild.

"Did you see how he held back that monster? Have you ever seen such might?"

"He called those people to him. He is going to save them. He is the hero humanity has been waiting for!"

"Do you think the gate really leads to Bastion? Can people go through it?"

"If I were those civilians, I would at least try!"

The voices overlapped, all of them filled with hope and also uncertainty.

With a tilt of his head, Gui motioned for the door. Immediately, the most prominent agents in the room including Fort, prepared to leave.

The Chancellor walked to address Lena and Julius. "Congratulations to you both. I am afraid you will have to excuse us."

Lena was torn. She wanted to go with them, but leaving behind her groom and the rest of her party guests was not really an option. She took Julius's hand and nodded.

"We understand. We wish you luck."

Gui turned to go, and Noble grappled with her next move.

Lena made the call for her. "Go. Help them however you can."

"But your perfect day…" the Maid of Honor began.

"Will be even better when we know those people are safe." Julius agreed with his new wife.

Noble pressed her lips together and nodded. "I'll be back."

Turning on her heels, the professor caught up with Fort as he exited the room.

"I'm coming with you." Noble was prepared to argue her case, but the Director took her hand and intertwined his fingers with hers.

His friend's life had nearly ended before his eyes. He wasn't about to reject any help.

"Where is the best place for around here for a command post?" Fort asked.

"Oh…" Noble's mind moved quickly. Of course, they needed to find a spot at the Academy to temporarily set up before Dimi reached out again. She had just the place in mind. "This way."

Leading them to the Academy's Spelltech lab, Noble was happy to find that it was empty. Work could begin immediately.

The seasoned agents set up in barely a moment and with Shafin's help all of the screens were arranged and ready to go.

Almost immediately Men and women from all over the world appeared to be part of the conversation taking place.

Noble stayed against one wall, watching with great interest.

After leading the powerful government to their temporary headquarters, she had no business staying. She couldn't weigh in on the decision-making, nor did she have enough knowledge to be a resource.

Her only real value was Noble's knowledge of the facility. And it was either because of that or her relationship with Fort that no one questioned her presence. So she remained silent and still as her eyes flicked around the room.

'So many people. And all at a moment's notice!'

Noble was astounded at how quickly everything had come together, especially the speed at which those not present at the wedding had answered the call to meet.

Gui positioned himself in front of the array of projections to address the newcomers. "You all received the same alert about the anomaly that I did. The Obel scale is not broken this time. We have discovered the source…"

'Alert?'

That is why the government devices all went off! They had no eyes on the ground, only a notification that something was amiss.

No wonder Gui was so anxious to project what Fort was seeing, even at the expense of the other wedding guests viewing it as well. Dimi was their only link to what was going on.

"What can possibly have caused such a disturbance? More Category Four gates?" A woman from South America, Director Luna, asked while the Chancellor collected his thoughts.

"No," Gui kept the emotion from bubbling into his voice. "Though this development is no less important. The anomaly was not made by the chain of Nightmares. It is human in origin."

Even though Noble knew this to be true, the gravity of the statement hit her a second time. But the Chancellor was not through.

"Anvil, King of Valor, has opened a gate and joined the evacuation effort." His eyebrows drew together as he studied the people around him.

Director Siv's mouth hung open. "You mean…"

Gui nodded. "A Sovereign has arrived."