Shield of Fire

Prince Tadal marches with his head up, looking proud and mighty, holding his axe in his left hand - his fingers wrapped tightly around the wooden handle. The flock follows, with Moiki and Zoiki one step behind to show the way, the royal trio next, and the rest in a disordered mass.

Their boots land hard on the rocky ground, a steady beacon resonating around the mountain’s walls with the group in its centre. Crini follows at the back of the group with Lura by her side. As they move forward, her mind recalls the scenes from her dream.

The fire seemed so real. She could swear it burnt her skin. The lava was flowing out of the shaking ground, moving strangely in patterns water - or anything liquid - could not cope with. For a second, Crini thought that the fire in her dream was… Alive.

And was not only that…

Crini nearly gasped at the memory of the voices she heard shortly after they entered the mountain. So terrifying, it was making her skin crawl. Having someone talking inside her head was creeping her out, violating the sanctuary of her mind, reading her thoughts. She had forgotten about that until now. Having thought of it, however, raised another question in her mind.

Could these two be connected? Could these events be parts of something bigger?

A familiar little voice in her – called consciousness – started providing a list of arguments against it. Would it be possible from all the Ethnians present, and even more living on these lands, any signal could be given to a mere human? No way. Crini would be the last person for this. Maybe she was. If life had been wiped out from Ethnos and she was the only living creature standing. She was a non-fitting variable in this equation. She was hallucinating. Losing her mind on a journey she wasn’t meant to do.

On the other hand, she could be the only one recognising the signs. Maybe there’s something or someone out there that cannot reach them and instead has tried to communicate with another species.

But who?

Lost in her thoughts, Crini stops when she bumps into something hard and soft for a rock. Rising her chin she sees the back of Ezpa. Everyone has stopped. Before she asks, Crini watches with the corner of her eye Lura stretching his neck lightly to see beyond the crowd.

As if he read her thoughts, Lura turns towards her.

“It appears that our most esteemed prince looks troubled. From the way he looks around, I can deduce that he doesn’t know where we should head.” His voice slithers low. “If I recall correctly, he was strongly affirmative that he knows his way into the mountain.”

Strange.

None from the group opened his mouth to speak. They all looked just as puzzled as Tadal. The group in front of Crini started to spread as the path widened. Then, the trouble was made clear to her.

The path they were heading was spreading into six smaller corridors. Crini throws a glance at Moiki and Zoiki, looking into the map with a deep frown formed on their foreheads. Some were making small hesitant steps into the narrower paths, in case they spot something in the vast darkness. It was easier for them to walk with minimum light available, as their eyes had a natural shine in the dark, enabling them to see up to some detail.

However, one by one, all were returning empty-handed.

Moiki produces a low whistling sound with his mouth getting everyone’s attention. The group starts to gather around the two Sopolian cousins. Their expressions do the talking. They are not expecting good news.

“There’s a strong energy field that is causing interference and the map doesn’t work properly,” Moiki says looking defeated. “We’ve tried to bypass it but it’s too strong.”

“There’s no other way to find the way?” Poinary was the one to speak. “I thought Prince Tadal knew the way into the mountain. You’ve said you’ve been here many times in the past.”

Tadal let out a puff of air, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“Yes, I was many times here since a child. But I’m telling you this. It could make me sound crazy, but the place wasn’t like this.”

“Ha! This is absurd!” Triana stepped into the centre of the circle they had formed. “Are you telling us that someone altered the inside of the mountain?” the irony in her voice was scratching the attendants’ ears, including Crini’s. “Who could have the power to reform the rocks without collapsing the structure?” her voice rises and anger spreads a crimson colour across her face.

“The Mati” Tadal responded with the same volume matching Triana’s. “They are form-shifters, they can easily change reality, form and time at will.”

“Oh please, Tadal!” Triana answered furiously. “Don’t think of us as fools! Mati have to be seen for nearly a century!”

“Yes,” Poinary entered the debate. “But no one said that they’re extinct.”

“And how do you know?” Triana scoffs at his argument. Wrinkles have filled her entire forehead and her jaw is tensed. She’s ready for a fight.

Crini unintentionally takes a step away from the group. Things are getting worse with any second passing.

“The scrolls we have under our people’s protection – ” Poinary starts but Triana cuts him off.

“Don’t start this thing with ancient refers. This is nonsense! We don’t have full texts. Any sentence could be part of a bigger context which cancels what we’ve got.”

Soon, more voices start to intercede in this fierce clash that had started as mere disagreement. The tones became louder and louder, reaching up the mountain’s peak – if they could be measured in height.

Crini steps further away, hands holding her temples. Each voice is hitting violently her eardrums, the painful echo spreading inside her head. Suddenly the room feels small. Suffocating. Crini’s heartbeat becomes erratic. She opens her mouth as she lands on her knees. She’s trying to breathe but the shock is greater, taking hold of her basic functions.

The same eerie voice she heard whispering upon entering this cursed mountain. Though now, was loud and clear. The deep voice cracked the noises in half, resonating like an animal roar.

“Find me.”