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Chapter Sixty-Two
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2024-10-29 19:42:56The sun was beginning to make its ascent as the sky started to lighten. It was at that moment, when all the Ravennite warriors were being overwhelmed by the immense loss of hope, that a great sound suddenly rang throughout the mountains and over the Citadel. It was a deep sound, loud and echoing, originating nearby from the hills south of the plateau’s land bridge. Alex opened his eyes and gazed up curiously. All the fighting had suddenly ceased everywhere, and everyone turned their attention toward the source of the noise. There was no mistaking; it was the sound of a horn.
As it rang up, Robert and Caine looked over to their left. The sound of the horn was originating about a hundred yards away, from the hills skirting the mountains surrounding the Citadel. Caine took a step back in intimidation. “Oh, no,” he muttered, a look of genuine fear on his face.
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Robert Morenno and his personal guard stood on their hill aside the fight and looked on hopelessly. Caine was visibly afraid and seemed to know that the battle was already over. The arrival of Darowe’s forces was the last thing he expected. He gave his leader a serious look. “Morenno!” he urged him desperately. “It’s over! We need to retreat!” Robert did not respond to him. He turned his attention toward the bridge and saw Malachai and Alex fighting their way across. Suddenly, he reached over his shoulders and pulled two, curved swords from the scabbards harnessed on his back. With a furious glare on his face, he ran down the small hill and charged into the battle. Caine was shocked and bewildered by his actions. “YOU FOOL!”Malachai had completely forgotten how tired he was. All that mattered to him right now was finishing off their enemy. It had become enti
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Summer, 2008 The Adirondacks, New York “the Dark Zone” One does not navigate through the Appalachian Mountains with ease if he does not belong there, especially in the dead of night. The glow of a single propane lantern is hardly enough to illuminate the darkness while surrounded by the great clusters of tall trees. In the pitch blackness of night, a group of young men slowly made their way through the woods. Two of them were leading the way; one holding a small propane lantern in front of him while the other stood by his side, wielding a rough-edged stone shortsword. Following just behind them, a third man was carrying a wounded figure around his shoulders. At the rear of the group a second swordsman was standing guard. They had been lumbering through the woods for a couple of miles, senses on edge as if waiting for something to jump out at them from the trees. The light emitted from the lantern slightly illuminated the holder’s face, revealing a large, dark bruise on his temple.
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As the head of the small group began to withdraw his blade, a sudden rustling in the trees behind them caused him to jerk around. Before he could brace himself for the worst, his comrade whom he had sent to scout ahead only moments earlier emerged from the darkness, much to his relief. He let out a soft exhale and released his grip on his stone sword. Then he looked at his returned partner as if waiting for him to provide news of some sort. Instead, he just nodded and gestured to the dark path behind him. That was all the man needed to know that a safe haven of some kind was just ahead of them. He turned to his other compatriots. “Let’s move,” he ordered, then pointed down at the wounded slump still lying on the ground. “Grab him. Let’s get out of here.” Without hesitation, the one who had been carrying the half-conscious victim picked him back up and slung him over his shoulders. The rear guard produced his sword again and resumed his position, while the leader of t
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April, 2010 North Elba, New York “Lake Placid” It was barely six in the morning as the reddish spring sun struggled to cast its light through the young boy’s bedroom window. The early sunlight magnifying through the glass would be enough to wake anyone from sleep, but the boy was already awake. He was sitting on the edge of his bed with his back to the sun, fully clothed and fully groomed, as if he had been up before the break of dawn. He was wearing a light, gray-striped DC hoodie and a pair of bluejeans defaced by holes in the material of various sizes. His dark hair was long and ragged, reaching halfway down the back of his neck and almost over his eyebrows, and his expression was one of bitterness and exhaustion. Not exhaustion due to lack of sleep, but rather mental fatigue. To him the weight of everyday life pressing do
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As soon as Nickole descended the stairs, the savory scent of buttermilk pancakes enveloped her. Her mother’s knack for homemade pancakes had the influence to sedate her thoughts and welcome her to a brief state of bliss. Sometimes it was just what she needed to fully awaken in the morning. Nickole walked into the kitchen where her mother was stacking fresh pancakes onto a square ceramic dish. “Morning, Mom,” she greeted cheerily. “Good morning, sweetheart,” her mother responded as she proceeded to cut up an apricot. Nickole opened the refrigerator and pulled out a 59-ounce bottle of Tropicana before walking over to the counter to retrieve a small glass. “That smells really good!” she said, inhaling the warm scent of the breakfast. “Thank you, Nicki,” her mother smiled and placed the dish of pancakes on the island
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The night was filled with the yipping and howling of a pack of coyotes in the distance. It was late, the sun had long set and the temperature was still dropping. Ranger pulled himself to his feet. It was time to move and find shelter. He held the sword in front of him and gripped it tight in his hand. He squinted as if thinking hard about something, and then the sword’s intertwining blade structure suddenly transformed, instantly retracting down into itself. In no more than a second, the blade had shrunk down to the hilt until it only stuck about eight inches outward. Ranger then reached back and slipped the minimized relic into the harness he was wearing, where it fit perfectly into place. Giving his dark surroundings a quick look around, Ranger set off from the riverbank and up into the mountains. The hills were steep and the darkness of the dusk sky made the venture difficult. And not to mention quite
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Alex spent the entire car ride with his head leaned back against the headrest and staring aimlessly out the window. It was still early in the morning, but by now the sun had illuminated the sky and the neighborhoods of North Elba were active with the life of a new day. People were pulling out of their driveways, heading to work or wherever the day would take them. The springtime dew on the blades of grass glistened in the early sunlight, as did the serene, blue water of Mirror Lake. The morning clouds cast a series of shadows all along the vast mountainside. It was one of the many beautiful sights of the great Adirondacks, but none of it swayed Alex’s mind to any sort of fascination. Nickole, on the other hand, was always interested in the sights of her home. She and her older brother had spent their entire lives in the village of Lake Placid, rarely travelling very far outside of the county, and she woul
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Robert Morenno and his personal guard stood on their hill aside the fight and looked on hopelessly. Caine was visibly afraid and seemed to know that the battle was already over. The arrival of Darowe’s forces was the last thing he expected. He gave his leader a serious look. “Morenno!” he urged him desperately. “It’s over! We need to retreat!” Robert did not respond to him. He turned his attention toward the bridge and saw Malachai and Alex fighting their way across. Suddenly, he reached over his shoulders and pulled two, curved swords from the scabbards harnessed on his back. With a furious glare on his face, he ran down the small hill and charged into the battle. Caine was shocked and bewildered by his actions. “YOU FOOL!”Malachai had completely forgotten how tired he was. All that mattered to him right now was finishing off their enemy. It had become enti
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The sun was beginning to make its ascent as the sky started to lighten. It was at that moment, when all the Ravennite warriors were being overwhelmed by the immense loss of hope, that a great sound suddenly rang throughout the mountains and over the Citadel. It was a deep sound, loud and echoing, originating nearby from the hills south of the plateau’s land bridge. Alex opened his eyes and gazed up curiously. All the fighting had suddenly ceased everywhere, and everyone turned their attention toward the source of the noise. There was no mistaking; it was the sound of a horn.As it rang up, Robert and Caine looked over to their left. The sound of the horn was originating about a hundred yards away, from the hills skirting the mountains surrounding the Citadel. Caine took a step back in intimidation. “Oh, no,” he muttered, a look of genuine fear on his face.
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Rowan had nearly four dozen arrows packed into her quiver before the battle, and she had just used the last one. Although she did not miss a single shot, the Domineers’ numbers were too great for her to handle on her own, but with her help, Alex was able to lead the Ravennites around him to stand their ground and keep their enemies away from the tower. Not knowing what else to do, Rowan decided that her best option was to make her way down to the tower armory and retrieve more arrows. The battle was not over yet.Even from across the distance of the plateau, Rowan’s attention was suddenly captured by a terrifying sound. She looked out with wide eyes across the battlefield and saw the Citadel’s gates being opened. She shook her head in terror, her arms beginning to tremble. It could not be true; the Domineers had taken the gates. Now Malachai and his men would be flanked and crushed, just
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On top of the tower, Rowan was shaking as she felt her restraint beginning to fail. She turned and ran back to Delmar’s map room. Altha noticed her run off.“Where are you going?” she asked, feeling worried for her. She could not believe how serious this plight had become. Even Delmar was struggling to defend his people against the onslaught of the Domineers. They were storming the ground and the long catwalks, and they had the Ravennites vastly outnumbered.Suddenly, like a blur in the corner of her eye, Altha saw Rowan rush forward and take a leap off the side of the overlook. “Rowan, no!” Altha cried.Rowan had retreated back into the map room, where she had left her bow and quiver when Delmar ordered her to take shelter. She grabbed her bow and slung her quiver full of arrows
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The battle had begun below. Wilson knelt by the cliffside of the mountain that stood to the side of the bridge leading to the Citadel. It was here, amidst the cover of the trees, that Wilson was looking out on the battle. For a while, it seemed as though they had the upper hand, but it hardly surprised him when the Ravennites defending the bridge suddenly turned the fight around, sending many of their adversaries over the edge. From the Citadel’s walls, Wilson watched volley after volley of arrows raining down on the Domineers. He gritted his teeth as more and more of his allies continued to fall. If they did not switch up their strategy soon, he feared that the battle would be lost before sunrise and their efforts wasted.It did not take long for the Domineers to realize their strategy’s utter futility. As the Ravennites continued to spear them one after another, the Domineers started scrambli
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The treelines began to lighten up before soon breaking apart completely as the Domineers closed in on the Citadel. The snow was still falling lightly and they were all shivering in the cold, but more than that, most of them found themselves to be itching for their scrape against the savage Ravennites. Robert Morenno had them all convinced that this would be the day they crushed them once and for all. He told them that they would avenge all those they lost at the Iron Furnace, and he told them, most importantly, that they would be taking no prisoners this time. They were going to have to rely on their advantage of numbers to win.The light of the torches all around the Citadel gave it away as the Domineers finished their approach and stopped several yards before the natural land bridge that Alex had described. Robert perched himself on top of a small rise of land at the edge of the treeline, joined by Caine
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The day had turned into night, and the night back into day without any signs of a Domineer presence approaching the Citadel. The Ravennites were able to breathe a sigh of relief for the moment, but after getting a brief, but needed respite in order to rest and regain their strength, Alex and the others spent almost all their time preparing the Ravennites for an impending battle. At Alex’s request, scouts had indeed been sent out to keep an eye on the perimeters around the front of the plateau, switching in and out consistently. He also took time to teach Malachai and his chosen team of warriors how to roughly execute a phalanx formation. It did not take long for the Ravennite craftsmen to make sufficient shields and spears as Alex had requested. They were not exactly iron forged, but they would work, and they practiced the powerful defensive line out on the land bridge several times. It took some getting used to, but Malachai’s men proved
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Alex walked over to the lookout point. He looked down at the many bridge-like appendages spanning from the tower to the outer wall. Beyond the walls, he stared out at the natural land bridge connecting the plateau to the mountains surrounding it. Alex nodded his head as he continued to formulate his idea.“What is it?” Matheus asked impatiently, trying to follow where Alex was looking. “What are you thinking about?”“Matheus,” Alex began. “Do you remember what I told you on my first day here, when you were introducing me to the Citadel?”He tried to think about what Alex was referring to, but his question was far too vague. “Not really, no.”“Look out there,” Alex directed their attention to the brid
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Alex’s mind was flashing back to his meeting with Robert only hours before. He recalled the sadistic and perverse manner that Robert intended to get the information he wanted from Alex. He could still hear that chilling threat replaying in his head.“Tick tock, Alex,” the voice of Robert Morenno echoed in his head. He could see him holding Rowan’s pendant in front of him. “Tell me where the Ravennites are hiding, or you can watch her die.”Alex was trembling as Robert’s ultimatum gnawed at his mind. He felt as though he was all alone now, with Malachai and Zak having been taken to a cell only moments before. Now, more than ever, he did not know what to do. He was torn between his loyalty to Rowan’s people and her own life. He despised this man for holding him by the throat with such brazen cruelty.
