Once again, Elea found herself in the pitch darkness of a tunnel. Only this time, she had no precious minutes to waste on being careful. She ran as fast as her legs allowed her. Everyone was dead back at the outpost. Master Ovo, Mico, everyone. Those poor souls in the first outpost. They are probably thinking why there was only one red dragon. They are dead too. One thought pulsated in Elea's head - will she make it in time to warn the Keep?

After ten minutes, her breath began to shorten, and her eyes started hurting from the darkness. She wanted to stop and take a breath but couldn't allow any delays. So she pulled herself together and went on running, vigorously biting her lower lip.

Finally, a light appeared at the end of the tunnel. She let out a breath of relief.

"Almost there," she encouraged herself. At the end of the tunnel, she saw a shaft ladder leading to the surface. She jumped and pulled up into the light.

"They know. The cultists. It's over," Elea choked on her heavy breath. Ten guardians in full temple equipment with masks and fighting sticks surrounded her. Elea started coughing.

"Bring her some water!" A deep woman's voice commanded. It belonged to a short and thick woman, Ishiko, Master of the Keep. Two guardians returned with a plastic water bag. Elea drank greedily, feeling strength slowly returning to her body. After a few seconds, she emptied the plastic bag and took a deep breath.

"Now, child, what is going on?" said Master Ishiko calmly.

"The cultists didn't pass the outposts. They stopped at the third, and then at ours. Killed everyone. I was sent by Master Ovo to warn you. The first outpost is doomed, too," said Elea, trying to explain everything as fast as possible. Master Ishiko frowned.

"They figured out our secret passageways? Gods. The red dragon from the first outpost came five minutes ago. They must be getting close. Well. Guardian, listen," Master put her hand on Elea's shoulder. "I'm sorry we lost the outposts. But we have the Iron Pathway in front of us. It will protect the Ark, as always. Stand guard!"

Master's last words were addressed to everyone in the room. Fifteen guardians exploded with simultaneous Hai and scattered back to their positions.

Elea ran up on the Keep's wall. She paused only for a moment to take a look at the Ark. Its monumental gates covered the sky. The Ark was right behind the keep, only a minute away if you run. Elea stood in shock and awe, unable to blink or even breathe.

"Guardian!" Somebody's voice brought Elea back to Earth. She shook her head and ran up. As she reached the top of the Keep's wall, the whole plain appeared in front of her eyes. She saw black gliders with cult soldiers. But for some reason, there were twice fewer than stopped at their outpost.

"Something's wrong. There were far more of them," Elea mumbled to the guardian next to her. Master Ishiko overheard her suspicions.

"Maybe the first outpost stood strong," she said.

"No. That's not it. They would have used the remaining gliders. Where are the other gliders?" Elea searched for the rest of the cultists. Nothing, where could they go? Maybe, they decided to attack in waves? She knew another reason but preferred not to think about it.

"The maps. If they cleared the outposts, they could have found the maps to the village," the master confirmed Elea's fears. "God save the poor souls there."

Elea looked at Master Ishiko. "But there is only one guardian shift left, and some hunters. What if they attack the temple? The apprentices are just kids!"

"There's nothing we can do to help them," exhaled Master. "We will wait for the Iron Pathway to tear this filth apart and return as soon as we can. I hope there will be someone left."

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Elea shifted her gaze to the gliders and stared at them without blinking. Tears filled her eyes. She thought about Daniel and what they would do to him. About her parents and her little sister in the temple. She was crying silently, but Master Ishiko was right - there was nothing they could do now.

"They are approaching the Pathway. Five, four," one of the guardians began the countdown.

Three. Elea squeezed her stick tighter.

Two. Teeth clenched so tight she could hear the sound.

One. A deep breath.

Contact.

Nothing happened. The gliders kept sliding, leaving a trace of rising snow behind.

"What is going on?" said Master Ishiko confused. "Why aren't the traps working?"

"We don't know, master," said one of the guardians, taking a step back.

"This is impossible. The Iron Pathway can be turned off only manually. But not even the temple knows about the control panel. It was lost long ago and forgotten," whispered the master.

Hearing the word "control panel" Elea mechanically reached for her bag, only to find it was missing.

"No," she gasped, realizing she had forgotten her bag at the outpost, with Daniel's knife and a tiny crumbled map to a secret place. They found it. They disarmed the Iron Pathway. It was her fault. She turned to Master Ishiko and opened her mouth, ready to tell everything. But at the same time, an earsplitting creak reached the Keep. It was so loud Elea had to cover her head. The earth under their feet started shaking. Everyone turned their heads to the Arc.

Slowly, inch after inch, the gates were opening, filling everything with the sound of a thousand voices screaming in unison. Master Ichiko dropped her fighting stick.

"This can't be. How did they...," she was lost for words.

Elea felt her knees weaken, she almost fell to the ground. Some of the guardians fell on their knees, crying. Others took off their capes, sharing lost looks with their fellow monks.

Master was the first to pull herself together. She picked up her stick and grabbed Elea by the shoulder.

"Listen. We still have a chance. There were legends about the Arc's door. They tell about some mechanism that allows you to seal it from the inside. There must be something in there. We don't have much time. We will stall the cultists, but I need you to go there and close the gates. Do you understand?"

Elea nodded.

"But remember. There is no way back. This is your duty," Master Ichiko let Elea go and raised her hand in the air.

"Guardians! Listen up! We are facing the dawn of humanity, and only our Keep stands between the savages and the Ark. I say we stand strong in the face of death! For who we are?"

Everyone immediately stood guard. "The Guardians!"

"And what is our purpose?"

"To protect the Ark!"

"Good. Then we will protect it until our last breath! Down the wall!" Master Ishiko raised her stick and jumped over the embrasure. The rest of the guardians followed her. They were sliding down the wall, using the blades on the sticks to navigate. When they reached the batter, they jumped and landed on their feet one next to the other. All thirty Keep guardians stood proud and tall, ready to meet their destiny.

Elea was left alone on the wallwalk. She turned to the Ark once again. The great gates were slightly opened, just enough to let people in. It was calling for her. She thought she started losing her mind, but the call was getting stronger. Oblivious of her actions, Elea soon found herself running towards the gates. It was only when she reached the thick metal wall she realized she was about to sacrifice herself. The calling appeared once again. She could feel it deep in her head.

Elea took a step inside.

The light from the opened gate filled the room. It was quiet and empty. She looked around. The only thing she saw was a small door in the opposite wall. Then she saw a tiny lever next to the main entrance. She ran to it. There was an instruction, written in the same old dialect as the book she found back in the secret place. Elea tried to read it, but couldn't understand the letters. Only one word was clear to her.

Pull.

With all her strength, she pulled the lever. At first, it didn't move. Elea tried to pull harder, and finally, she felt the lever slowly giving in. As she reached the point where it refused to go any further, the lever made a clicking sound, and the main entrance gates started moving. Elea stood holding the lever until the leaves finally slammed into each other, sealing the Ark once again. Only then did she let go.

She was left alone in a dark room, but she felt no fear or grief. She fulfilled her duty, and the Ark was safe now. Elea lay on the floor, looking up into the darkness. A silly song popped up in her head, the one her mother used to sing to her as a child.

Hear me, hear me.

Father of snow and ice.

I'm falling into your hands.

I'm falling into your hands.

Hear me, hear me

Mother of days and nights

I'm falling into your hands.

I'm falling into your hands.

The roar of winds

Cover my sleepy eyes

And let me fly away

Away into the skies.

A warm tear dropped from Elea's eye and rolled down her temple on the cold metal floor. She turned her head slightly and only then saw a tiny green light on the opposite wall.