Chapter 24 - An army of her own

No one had any suggestions, but Kiterina knew something had to be done. The creatures that were rushing towards them, would overtake them if they tried to flee. She would have to protect everyone here, at the house. But in order to do that, she would need more power.

"Last night, a few of you prayed to me, and I was filled with the power to stop the storm. In order for me to protect you from the coming horde, I would request that you all pray to me this morning. Those of you who do not wish to be my followers and to pray, I would like for you to leave. This place will be a hallow place, only safe to those who would be mine."

Timmy nodded, and immediately climbed out of his chair to kneel and pray. The other three boys followed closely behind. Rose and Henry looked at each other. They knew that they were the ones to have prayed to her, and here she was, claiming to need it again to protect them. Sitting next to each other, they bowed their heads and began to pray.

Kiterina looked towards the two soldiers, who were eyeing everyone else.

"I just can't believe that my king would do such a thing." He shook his head and stood up from his chair.

Already, Kiterina could feel the power flowing into her from the prayers.

"Wait, George. What if she's telling the truth? You and I both know how corrupt the men in power can be. Just think of how Cane treated us when we were learning how to do our job. I don't know about you, but I want to eventually get home to my wife and kids."

"Stan, you can't be serious. This is a demon, and probably a trick. Why, just yesterday, we were talking about how many we were willing to kill if given the opportunity. Besides, if any of the other soldiers find out we even stayed here, we could be locked up or killed."

"Exactly, George. We're already in over our heads. I'm going to leave the army and stay here. I think you should, too."

George watched as Stan kneeled and began to pray. Shaking his head, he left, shutting the door gently behind him, as if he didn't want to interrupt them in their prayers.

Kiterina took a breath. She felt better than that time she had eaten those mushrooms. This would be fantastic! Heading out the door after George, she saw him paused at the road, looking to the east. She could hear the creatures approaching, and wasted no time in running out to the edge of the trees, and began to draw a line with her claws. She rushed around the house, and out to the field where the chickens were scratching, and the tired old horses were grazing. They looked up as she all but ran around the field, dragging a line behind her. As she approached the starting point of her line, having made a lopsided circle, she could feel the power in her start to do something. Closing the circle, she knew what she wanted it's purpose to be, and the words tumbled out of her mouth.

"Let all those who would follow me, be safe within this line. All those who would oppose me, shall not see or pass this line, or all that which is inside."

She sat down, panting in satisfaction, and watched as a yellow glow flew out along the line and up, forming a dome. Turning, she saw George still inside, kneeling in prayer. A warmth filled her heart as she realized he had chosen to follow her.

A noise ahead of her, drew her attention, and she turned to see the creatures that she had seen the night before, rushing towards her. They looked even less frightening in the daylight, and much more haggard. The light in their eyes was faded, and fear the only emotion left on their faces.

An amazing thing occurred, as they drew closer. She watched as a type of hope suddenly appeared in their eyes. They turned towards her line as they got within five yards, rushing with an abandon they hadn't had a few moments ago. She flew to the roof of the house as they began to cross her barrier. Then they seemed to drop like flies, exhaustion overwhelming them.

The men who were chasing them, slowed, then stopped, as they realized the creatures were disappearing before their eyes. They fanned out, actually going around the house and field, as they searched for them. The other creatures swerved to enter the area too, but only if they were close enough to notice the others already enter it. There must have been close to a hundred of the creatures, laying on the ground, panting in exhaustion. Hopping down from the roof, she walked among them. She found, that if she touched them lightly, she could heal them, but their scars and fatigue still remained.

As soon as the pain and fear were gone, they rolled to their knees and placed their heads on the ground to thank her and pray as well. This gave her the strength to get through every one of them.

The vast majority of them looked like orcs that she had seen in some of the shows she had watched on tv, but there were three other races mixed in. One looked like a mix between an orc and an elf. It looked very beautiful, from a human standpoint, with smooth skin, short stature, tall pointing ears and green skin. The second looked like a cross between a human and a lizard, with slight scales covering its skin, claws on the hands and feet, yet soft features on the face and torso. Katerina particularly liked the glowing tattoos many of them had on their arms and legs. The last race looked almost like hairy fairies. They stood about three feet tall, with blue skin, dark blue eyes, and fur that covered them completely. None of their wings had survived the whips, so they probably would never fly again, unless she could figure out how to restore them.

"What do you wish of us, oh great savior?" one asked, still touching her face to the ground. As soon as she spoke, all of the others took up the request.

Kiterina stood among them, and suddenly wondered what was she going to do with them? And how was she going to feed them all??