The Keeper looked at me and said, “The mountain dwellers have joined forces with Them. As we speak, the army of the mountain dwellers has united with the army of the inhabitants of Dark Forest. The portal separating the Deep Woods from the realms surrounding The Other In Between has weakened.
“The Keepers will have to open the portal to let the Fron as well as those willing from the other lands surrounding Everville to cross over through the brutal desert and stop the armies of Them in The Valley of Darkness. We alone must protect Everville and, by extension, your realm as well. If we fail, the darkness from The Other In Between will seep into your world and destroy everything as you know it.
“The Valley of Darkness is the first front we must win, but Them have armies preparing to invade all eight lands from each of the portals. If we can stop Them in The Valley of Darkness, we can regroup and devise a plan to stop Them in the other lands, as well.
“The Fron will fight, but you will need to cross over and reach The First Pillar. If you are successful in convincing The First Pillar, you may be able to stop the armies from reaching the Deep Woods. For now that is the only hope I have. You won’t be able to do it alone, and your friends Anika and Dante do not possess the ability to travel realms. They can, however, assist you in your journey. They can guide you along the way and sometimes more. You must have Cleophas train you on those methods before you journey back to Everville.”
I was still unclear as to why The First Pillar had let The Keeper leave The Valley of Darkness or what would be asked of me if I made it to The First Pillar.
EVERVILLE CHAPTER 33
TRAINING.
By the time I had returned to Earth and we had reached The Echo Club, the wind and rain had once again increased. The wind was howling with such violence that its sound penetrated the thick walls that surrounded us. We walked into the inner room of the club, and the sound of the wind finally abated. That did not, however, give us any additional comfort as the quiet allowed us time to reflect on the severity of the situation and the short time we had left to stop the breach.
Cleophas took out a couple of metallic objects and two large paintings that were behind the bookshelves. The objects were cold, heavy spheres about the size of a softball. They were light grey with a shiny surface.
“When Owen journeys to Everville and travels to The First Pillar, he will be guided only by his memories and your thoughts. You must help lead him to the pillar. You will be his eyes where he cannot see and his ears when he cannot hear. You must warn him of upcoming dangers so that he can evade the enemies that seek to destroy him and help him overcome obstacles that may await Owen along his journey, but there is more. With enough effort, you will be able to send him your energy and strength. You can provide him with strength when he needs to fight, you can help heal him when he is injured, and you can give his mind clarity and direction when he is confused or afraid.
“Be warned, this comes at a cost. The energy and strength you give him will come at your expense so be very prudent in how much you give him. If you give too much, you will become weak. If you continue to give more energy when you are in a weakened state, it’s possible you might not survive.”
Cleophas positioned the paintings directly in front of Anika and Dante. The paintings were each very different, but they had the same special connection to Everville as the one we had seen at Professor Samil’s estate in the Hamptons.
“The spheres that you see were specially crafted by melting many objects together that had demonstrated an especially strong link to other times and places. You must not let the power overwhelm you but let it flow through you. Remember to put out of your mind the multitude of thoughts so you can let the overall movement of energy run through you like a flowing stream.
“Once you feel the power, focus your mind on the painting until you can see Everville and the location of Owen. You must then direct your thoughts to positive memories, memories of events when you had overcome difficult obstacles and made the right choice even though it may have seemed difficult at the time. This will provide you with the most efficient use of your energy and the best hope of helping Owen.”
Cleophas held each sphere in his hand and gently placed them in the palms of Anika and Dante. Anika’s entire body trembled when the sphere touched her hand. She felt a jolt of energy rush through her. The feeling was so intense she was forced to sit down. Slowly, she regained her composure and the intense feeling abated.
Dante was once again nearly knocked down to the floor, but he managed to steady his knees just enough to remain standing. His body felt as if he were preparing to take the stage to make a presentation in front of a large audience. He felt nervous, jittery, and anxious. It took a while longer, but eventually he was able to calm his body and mind enough to listen to what Cleophas was about to say.
“Hold the spheres in your hand now and relax your mind. Focus on the painting in front of you and think about the land of Everville.”
Anika looked at the painting intently as she held the sphere in her hand. Piece by piece the painting started to move. It was subtle at first, and then the painting took on a life of its own. She looked deeper into the painting until she could see Everville.
Finally, Dante could see into Everville and the movement of the army of Fron. It was a little fuzzy at first, but over time he came to see clearly as the Fron talked amongst themselves.
The underground catacombs of Everville were filled with Fron, other species, and all sorts of different creatures. Some of the creatures were used like horses, while other slightly more ominous looking ones were intended for active participation in war. The Keeper had made the portal much larger in order to transport the army of Fron and those fighting with them. Thousands upon thousands of Fron were waiting by the portal, waiting to cross over to the brutal desert and travel through The Valley of Darkness and into the Dark Forest. They took up all the space in the catacombs and spilled out into the Deep Woods and farther into the land of the Fron.
They were carrying different types of war machines, mechanisms, and contraptions. Some of them I had seen before, others were completely novel. They had taken up just about all the space in the catacombs and were accompanied by several Keepers.
Even in the face of such a daunting task, the Fron remained upbeat and optimistic. A few of the Fron were even humming songs as they waited to cross through the portal. Dante could see a few of the Fron taking interesting looking pastries from a large stash of food that one of the creatures was carrying on its back. One of them stuffed an oversized pastry into his mouth. It didn’t completely fit, allowing a few crumbs to fall to the floor. A nearby marmook saw the crumbs and quickly picked them up, eating them before anyone else had the chance to notice their presence.
The armies of the Fron were waiting for my arrival and I could not hold off much longer.
Cleophas gently removed the spheres from Anika and Dante’s hands. He called in Avery to assist him.
“Owen will need to enter the realm of the Everville very shortly. With every moment that passes, the breach grows larger and the darkness from The Other In Between seeps into this world.”
The two grad students left the inner room to get Avery and the other members of the Echo Club. When they opened the doors, the noise from the outside had grown substantially. I could hear what sounded like large objects banging against building walls.
Just then, a large branch collided with the window shattering it into pieces. The wind and rain poured into the room with relentless force. Chairs and tables were knocked out of place, and smaller objects were hurled by the wind against the wall and turned into projectiles that were coming precariously close to the people in the room.
“Hurry, hurry, we don’t have much time!”
Cleophas signaled for everyone to come into the inner room. I could see larger objects outside being carried by the wind. Some of the objects hovered in place while others were thrown into nearby buildings and structures. The wind was reachi
ng the upper bounds of a hurricane, and the weather was acting like nothing I had ever seen before. It was unprecedented.
Avery and the rest of the Echo Club quickly entered the room and closed the doors. We had precious little time and decided not to waste anymore. With the acknowledgment from Cleophas, Anika, and Dante, I transported myself, mind and body, to the underground catacombs in Everville.
A small contingent of Fron, along with a few creatures and some war machines, assembled near my position. We would leave about a third of the way from the front and break off from the main army once we got past the underground tunnels beneath the brutal desert and into The Valley of Darkness.
The Keeper signaled for the army to enter the portal. The time had arrived. The army in front of me passed through the portal, then it was my turn to step through.
EVERVILLE CHAPTER 34
OWEN’S JOURNEY PART I
I stepped through the portal and into the barren desert. In mere seconds, the searing heat had warmed my skin to a nearly unbearable level. The army of the Fron that waited in front of me was also visibly agitated from the intense beating of the sun’s rays and anxiously awaited their transport underground.
The Keeper had alerted the giants to our arrival. Apparently there were a lot more giants beneath the brutal desert than there were during the first major breach. Hundreds upon hundreds of massive trunk-like structures pierced the desert floor, leaving sunken holes as far as the eye could see. One by one, the humungous arms of the giants grabbed each creature and soldier of the Fron army pulling them into the underground tunnels. The process resembled an automated factory assembly line. The arms were moving with such precision and efficiency, it was truly a sight to behold.
The army continued moving forward as the soldiers in front were carried down below. The heat was getting to me. I nearly passed out from the suffocating warm air and sunburned skin that I had developed during my brief stay. Without a moment to spare, a large forearm broke through the desert soil. The fingers of the giant’s hand that grabbed me were each nearly equal to my size. The fingers closed around me and I was enveloped by the soil. The rocks and soil scratched my sunburned skin as I was pulled beneath the ground, but it was preferable to the oppressive heat above the surface.
The giants had enlarged the tunnels to allow for the passage of the army and had destroyed their own homes in the process, but they were more than willing to do whatever it took to assist the army of the Fron.
The giants passed me along, one giant at a time, until I had arrived at a large opening that led to the underground river. The rest of the soldiers stood in wait until the entire army had made it through and the giants had finished carrying down the armor and weapons.
After all the equipment had been brought below ground, the army began boarding long, tall, narrow boats that the giants constructed at the instruction of The Keeper.
Back on campus at Easton Falls, Anika and Dante took hold of the spheres and peered into the paintings. They put what was happening around them, including the violent wind and rain that was beating down on the university, out of their minds. They let the energy from the spheres and the memories from their past guide them.
They saw the army of the Fron boarding the ships near the underground river, and then they could see the mountain dwellers. The mountain dwellers had a small contingent lying in wait in the caves beneath The Valley of Darkness, but the larger army was above the valley and on the other side of the mountain, hidden from view.
The mountain dwellers were in the front of the army, riding on the backs of the massive dog-like creatures. They had fastened the ropes of invisibility around themselves as well as the creatures. At a moment of their choosing, they were going to jump from the cliffs of the concave valley wall onto the valley floor and attack the army of the Fron.
The army of the inhabitants of the Dark Forest amassed behind the mountain dwellers on the mountaintop. They numbered in the hundreds of thousands. All sorts of hideous looking creatures, ogres, and deformed animals stood by their side waiting to pounce. Several different species of flying beasts flew overhead, eagerly waiting to pick the flesh of the fallen soldiers once the battle had begun.
Anika and Dante could see the army stretching all the way along the mountaintop until the mountain pass. They had constructed a makeshift bridge in order to transport the massive horde. The army of the inhabitants continued well beyond the pass extending deep into the Dark Forest. The size and enormity of the army was truly incomprehensible.
Anika and Dante were able to send me a mental image of what they saw, and I informed the army of Fron. From that point on I could see everything they were able to see.
The Everville army was concerned but not surprised. We discussed our strategy to detach from the main unit so that we could sneak across the valley floor to the band of trees. We would wait until the rest of the mountain dwellers had jumped to the valley floor then we would climb the concave wall. We had only a few ropes of invisibility that the giants had been able to acquire from the valley, but it would be enough to get a few of us out of the valley and onto the mountaintop. The heat of war would mask any sounds we made and prevent the mountain dwellers from locating our position, but it would be significantly more dangerous for us once we reached the mountaintop.
My concern was not for myself but rather the army of the Fron. While they had help from the surrounding lands of Everville, the army of the inhabitants of the Dark Forest vastly outnumbered them. Even if I succeeded in reaching The First Pillar and found a way to stop the first front of the breach and the army of the inhabitants, it seemed inevitable that the Fron would take massive casualties. I further worried for my friends, concerned that they might not be able to stand the battle.
Back behind the portal in the underground catacombs of Everville, The Keeper and the other Keepers were taking the necessary precautions in The Keeper’s Workshop. They had closed the portal once the army had crossed, but darkness from Them and The Other In Between was able to periodically seep through. One of the Keepers, however, was missing. It was the same Keeper I had seen when I was earlier introduced to the Fron and the inhabitants of Everville.
The missing Keeper was above ground in a village home with the Fron that had joined forces with Them. They were in a far-off corner of the Land of the Fron bordering the Deep Woods. The cooperation of the other Keeper had given Them the greatest power and leverage to weaken the portal to Everville, the other surrounding lands, and the earthly realm. It was the assistance of this Keeper that had turned the balance.
There was, however, another willing agent of Them in Easton Falls.
Samil had brought the painting that held a strong connection to Everville back to his Easton Falls estate. He was alone and watching the events unfold in The Valley of Darkness through the painting just as Anika and Dante were. It was Samil who was in a similar position as I during the earlier breach.
At the time of the breach, Samil’s arrogance prevented him from assisting the Keepers in stopping the darkness from seeping into the Land of the Fron. Now he had joined forces with the other Keeper to provide assistance to the armies of Them as they sought to overtake Everville. Samil had lost the ability to transport himself to Everville, but he still had the power to send energy to the armies of Them.
The truth had finally unfolded. The cowardly and weak had betrayed those that had supported them the most. Samil, the other Keeper, and a small contingent of Fron had joined forces with Them and were working together to undermine the efforts of the Keepers in protecting Everville and the earthly realm from the darkness in other times and places.
Anika and Dante watched carefully as the army of Fron continued boarding the ships on the underground river. The darkness from Them had grown and emboldened the lesser creatures that inhabited the underground river and The Valley of Darkness.
As the first boat was ready to push off, a large river serpent rose up out of the river and attacked one of the Fron. In one bite,
the serpent bit into the Fron then swallowed him whole. Several of the Fron took out their long swords and cut the serpent in half. They pulled the Fron out of the serpent, but it was too late. The Fron lay there on the bottom of the boat, dead from his injuries.
Samil watched through the painting at Easton Falls. His once kind heart had turned bitter after failing to stop the prior breach. He resented The Keeper who had done what he could not do. His jealousy and resentment had pushed him toward the direction of Them. His mind was so blinded by his hatred and arrogance that he was actually deriving enjoyment from the death of the Fron. His face revealed a small grin as he watched the soldiers come to the Fron’s aid. He was happy to see their misery and wished he could see more.
It was a harbinger of things to come and likely the first of many casualties the army of Fron would suffer in the battle against Them and the massive armies from The Other In Between. The Fron were resilient and determined, but they were also deeply saddened by the loss of one their own. Unfortunately, we had no time to stop and mourn the dead. We had to keep moving. The breach was getting larger and the ability to stop the forces of Them would only diminish over time.
The first boat filled with the Fron’s army began floating down the river. It was followed by another, then another, and yet another. Dozens upon dozens of the boats floated down the underground river towards to the opening of The Valley of Darkness. The first boat held the captain of the army as well as Toe. They kept a close eye out for the opening of the tunnel and made sure the trailing boats stayed close behind. They would need to stop and set up just before exiting the tunnel to prepare for the battle. Once the first boat was seen, it would alert the mountain dwellers and the army of Them to the arrival of the army of Fron.
We continued down the river following not too far behind the lead boat. The Fron stood guard by the sides of the boat making sure any emboldened serpents would be struck down before they had a chance to strike. We approached the entrance, and the lead boat slowed its pace.