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Part 36

The darkness continues to spread across the land bathing everything in its cursed shadow. I turn to Wolfie and say, "I know this is your home my friend and I am sorry for bringing this trouble down on it. But I must insist that everyone here follows one command."

He slowly tears his fear filled eyes from the creature in the valley before looking at me. As he does I see him fight back the fear and replace it with determination, "Of course we will follow you today Seeker, you have more experience than anyone else. But don't apologize for that things actions, you did not bring it here."

I nod, "Thank you."

Turning to the rest I begin to bark out orders, "Ok everyone listen up. We are in for a fight and don't have long to prepare. The only thing in our favor is the enemy did not know we would be gathered here today and looks to have positioned the bulk of its forces closer to the village. But that still won't give us long to work."

Looking at Peter and Joseph, "We need to get the children and elders to safety. The village is out of the question obviously, but isn't there an entrance to some caves nearby?"

Joseph nods, "Yes, about two hundred yards from here. I explored them when I was younger. There are several large caverns with plenty of room for everyone as well as a path out the other side of the mountain."

I give him a humorless grin, "Good I want you two to lead as many out as you can. Once there continue on through to the other side. Wait for a message outside the valley. If you don't get one by dark.... Well do your best to keep them safe."

They both nod grimly and set off rounding up kids and elderly alike and begin organizing their escape. I turn to Wolfie, Shadow, Jasper, and Lance, "I want the four of you to get everyone that is capable of fighting armed and ready as quickly as you can."

Wolfie leads them off saying, "This way we have quite a few weapons stored in the house."

As they leave Shadow turns and locks eyes with me mouthing the words I love you. I reply back to him silently I love you to.

Tearing my gaze from my mate I turn Harran, "Harran is there anything you can think of that may help us?"

He looks at me with his one silver eye filled with anguish, "Seeker I wish there was. But I don't know any more than what I have told you. Only thing I really know for sure is that it is scared of you. But not scared that a guardian lives, it is scared of you specifically. I don't know why just that it believes that you are the only thing in its way of total control. Because of that I believe that it will come for you directly in this fight, or at least send its strongest fighters for you."

I nod, "Thanks Harran, now why don't you go catch up with Shadow and the others and get armed."

He gives Rosalie a quick kiss before jogging off to catch up with the others. Once he's gone Rick speaks up, "What do you want us to do?"

I look at him and Rosalie saying, "The three of us are going to set up a perimeter as best we can. Rick you need to dig a trench around the clearing with as tall a wall as you can manage on the inside but make sure to leave room for the others to escape. Rosalie and I will follow along behind you adding to the defenses with ice. It won't stop them long but hopefully it will buy us some time and perhaps funnel them in a way that we will be able to hold them off."

Rick nods and hefts his hammer as he heads towards the edge of the clearing and begins using his earth guardian powers to manipulate the mountainside clearing into a makeshift fort. Rosalie moves to follow him but I grab her arm stopping her. She turns back to look at me confused.

I look down at my oldest living friend with a grave look. Concern crisscrosses her face as she asks, "What is it Seeker?"

I take a deep breath before replying, "Rosalie, you are my oldest friend and I trust you more than perhaps anyone, but it's still hard for me to ask this."

She reaches a hand up and strokes the side of my muzzle, "Seeker, you have been many things to me. Friend, father figure, older brother, guardian, councilor. You can ask me anything."

With a quiet voice I make my request, "When the time comes I want you to promise me that you will do everything you can to get Shadow, Rick, Jasper, and yourself away from here. You four must survive this even if I do not. You are the future of this world. The people will need their guardians."

She moves to interrupt me but I push in silencing her, "No buts. You must do this for me. I can't ask the other three to do this. Shadow loves me too much to consider leaving me and Rick and Jasper see me more as a father than anyone else will. But you know better than anyone that sometimes sacrifices must be made for the good of the many. Do you promise me to get them out of here if I tell you to?"

With tears falling from her eyes Rosalie nods, "I promise. Even if I have to drag them myself. I'll make sure we get out if you tell us to run."

I pull her into a hug that she eagerly returns.

After a moment we separate and I smile at her seeing not the little girl who long ago hid behind another's leg but a proud and fierce water guardian. She looks back at me with a question, "Do you really think this will lead to that outcome though?"

I want desperately to tell her I don't but I have never lied to her and I won't start now, "I hope that it won't, but it is a fools hope at best. If this creature is only half as strong as when it destroyed Atlantis then it will have no problem wiping us out here today. Atlantis was the single strongest society in history. We had an army of guardians able to do things the world had never seen and has not seen since."

She looks at me puzzled, "But you have beaten it twice now, it said so."

I shake my head sadly, "The first time it was possessing an unwilling host with limited to no magical abilities. I only survived that because Shadow's near death helped me unlock new levels of powers I never had before allowing me to become a water master. Even then that was pure, raw, unchecked rage and sorrow. I nearly lost myself to the power. The creature was to shocked to mount a proper defense at the time.

"When it attacked using Aduro it was working through a willing host and former guardian at that. Even being a master who was strengthened by a storm it still required you and Shadow by my side to hold him off. Then it took creating two more guardians to drive him away, and Aduro was only a willing servant not possessed."

Rosalie looks at me with a stunned look on her face, "You really don't believe we stand a chance do you?"

I let out a defeated sigh, "Over the centuries I have found myself in more hopeless situations than I can count. But this makes every single one of them look like a playground tussle. So barring a miracle of astronomical proportions.... No I don't believe we stand a chance. That is why it is so important to me that the four of you survive even if I don't. It is my hope that you all will continue to grow in strength and become masters yourselves. If I can buy you that much time my death will have meaning."

She wipes the tears from her face, "Ok Seeker. But we will fight by your side until you give the word. Then I'll make sure your wish is carried out."

I smile down at her, "Thank you Rosalie. If I'd ever had a daughter I would have wanted her to be like you."

From the distance Rick shouts, "Hey! Are you to going to help or not?"

With a short laugh we turn and head to the edge to help Rick with the perimeter. He had already made progress in getting a large trench and wall built. I directed Rosalie to stand by the trench and wait. I rushed over to the stream and knelt down on its bank and pushed my right paw into the water and closed my eyes.

I reached out with my senses feeling the flow of the water. I traced it in both directions with my mind. The water flowed down hill quickly enough building speed and volume till it emptied out into the river in the heart of the valley. Moving the water back up here that way, while doable, would be taxing even for me so I follow the stream to its source.

Up the mountain it goes higher and higher almost to the peak where it path takes a sudden and sharp turn down a narrow vent leading to a great reservoir deep in the heart of the mountain itself. My eyes snap open as a grin of delight spreads over my face, "Wolfie you are either a genius or in credibly lucky."

Moving water against its course is hard, but encouraging more water to flow where it wants to go that's almost child's play for me. I stand up and wade into the stream holding my trident high I point it up hill towards the source of the water and concentrate willing the water to rise.

In mere moments the water level around my feet rises to my waste as the small stream turns into a river that I then redirect to fill Ricks trench. Once the water is flowing strong I move out of it to go help Rosalie who has begun to form the water into thick sheets of ice covering the wall behind the trench. Moving along behind her I add more ice to what she has placed only I form it into great spears with jagged razor edges. In no time the whole clearing has been encircled and is surrounded by a twenty foot wall of earth and ice coated in a thick maze of deadly spikes pointed in all directions.

I move to stand beside Rick and Rosalie, releasing the water flowing down hill once the moat is full. Jasper races up to us with a slight pant in his breath, "Seeker, we have armed everyone who can fight and I have spread them out around the perimeter so that all sides are covered."

Nodding I reply, "That good. Did the others all get away safely?"

He takes a deep breath before saying, "Joseph led all the elders and children to safety. A few mothers went as well. I gave them weapons to defend themselves should the need arise but their path looked clear."

I look out into the valley at the smoke figure still casting its dark spell on the sky before turning back to him, "Good, let's hope they don't need them. Now go finish prepping everyone and you may want to get your armor on as well. Rosalie why don't you go with him. I'm sure there are a few who could use a bit more hope right now."

They both nod and walk towards the crowd their armor forming around them as they walk. Water seems to flow from the ground at Rosalie's feet and flow up her body solidifying into the bright blue and gold trim armor of a water guardian. Beside her the very air around Jasper solidifies and turns white as frost before attaching to his body. Their capes flow out behind them before flapping gently in the wind.

I turn back to see Rick looking at me with a mix of emotions. I see fear, worry, a touch of pride and even a flicker of hope in his face. But what catches me off guard is the touch of anger in his eyes and I fear what he wants to say.

I let out a resigned sigh, "Let it out Rick."

He starts to open his mouth but stops then starts again, "I heard what you asked Rosalie to do."

I rub my eyes for a moment before saying, "I take it you have learned to listen to the earth?"

He nodded, "You said it would happen eventually."

Glancing around I speak in a softer voice, "Look you know that I have always trusted you and your brother. What I asked her to do wasn't a reflection on you two. I just know that she will see it through."

The anger in his eyes diminishes but doesn't vanish as he speaks, "I know and I heard your reasons for asking her and I will make sure we all get out of here. I just want to know why you couldn't tell us directly? Or at least tell me? Like you said you are the closest thing Jasper and I have to a dad anymore. Shouldn't we deserve more than to dragged away at the last minute?"

I look into his eyes for a long moment before saying, "Rick, I have raised you and your brother for most of your lives. Can you tell me in all honesty that if I had told you both my plan from the beginning that you would not have argued, persuaded, or tried to bargain a way out of it?"

He opens his mouth to speak only to close it again before shaking his head. I place a paw on his shoulder, "You understand why I am asking Rosalie and now you to fulfill this request. You heard what that thing said it wants to make me suffer and the easiest way to do that would be to go for all of you first. Jasper and Shadow would never be able to leave me like I need you to. I know I am asking a lot, probably too much. But if there is a way for this thing to be slowed down for you to escape, then I must take it."

He nods and I see a tear in his eye that he quickly wipes away before putting on the mask of a warrior, "Ok ill make sure to help Rosalie when the time comes."

He turns to walk off only to quickly turn back and wrap his arms around me in a tight hug as he whispers, "....and you're not just like a dad to us. You are our dad, Seeker"

A large lump forms in my throat as I return the hug and I barely manage to croak out, "Thanks Rick..... My son."

With that he breaks the embrace and jogs off after the rest. As he does the earth seams to reach up at his paws as he is encased in emerald green armor from head to tail. In the distance a cyclone of flames signals that Shadow has donned his own red armor as he directs sword wielders into position.

As I watch my mate for a moment it almost seems as if his flames burn darker and more fiercely than normal. Almost as though he is being charged up. Before I can decide if it is a trick of the light however a deep rumbling sound comes from lower in the valley. I turn to look and see that the creature has grown in size to rival the surrounding mountains. Beneath it spreading towards us like a wave is an ever expanding army of shadow summoning of all sizes. And at their head clad in dark black armor wielding a large evil axe is Aduro.

I glare down the mountainside at the approaching army channeling all my anger and hate into my gaze, "You destroyed my birth home, killed my family, hunted me my whole life though I didn't realize it. Now you march on my new home and new family with the intent to kill them. Well imp sorry to disappoint you but that is a fight you won't win easily. I will use every ounce of strength I have, fight to the last breath in my lungs, and die on my paws before I ever let you take what I hold dear again."

The now familiar feeling of dry water climbs my legs and solidifies into my blue armor. Once my armor is fully formed and my multicolored cape wave behind me I raise my sapphire trident into the air. Channeling energy into I make it glow bright with an inner light casting a pale blue tint to the area around me.

My light though is a pale force compared to that of the darkness cast on us.