Unknown Darkness (Dominions Book 2)

Chapter 30: Judah

The wasteland that was Coventry erupted into chaos as the guardians and Elora made their way from the border to the castle. Arrows were flying everywhere, and dragons were soaring up above, but nobody had made it to the middle of the battlefield yet.

As the army charged forward in the middle of the battlefield, Elora grabbed the guardians and pulled them into a tight circle. Fairies and Minotaurs alike pushed passed them, and Judah closed his eyes and pictured a force field around them. When he opened them they were surrounded by a light blue screen. The sounds and carnage of the battle were muted. Arrows bounced off the top of the shield, and he tried not to focus on the fear of what was going on around them.

He ignored the pounding headache he had after throwing a force field over half the army.

"We need you to get into the castle no matter what," Elora said. "I'll travel with you as far as I can, but if something happens you need to move."

"We aren't going to leave you-"

"I'm not speaking as your friend," Elora interrupted. Judah's heart sank as he looked at the Queen of his realm giving them the same look she gave others when dealing with diplomatic duties. The creases in her face were strong, and her long blonde hair was tied into a tight bun. "I'm speaking as your Queen. You will obey me."

No one dared to say anything after that. She brought them in for a quick hug, and then let them go. The last of their army had cleared the border. Five magical realms converged in battle in the center of the deserted field.

Judah shivered at the thought of the bodies that lay lifeless being trampled into the dirt. She took the lead in front of the guardians and began walking into the carnage. At first, the force field was met with little resistance. As they walked through the farthest part of the battle, they were surrounded mostly by their comrades. As they got closer to the middle of the fighting, Judah's heart stopped beating upon seeing the horrors. There were fairies with their wings torn out of their back being stabbed with flailing swords. Gedeon's guards were being scooped up by a dragon and tossed into the air. Fire shot from their mouths as the guard fell to the earth on fire. The flames were unforgiving where they landed.

Men and women screamed as they were slashed with swords, or blasted with a magical beam.

Then the Harplies appeared.

Their bodies floated above the battle. They stretched their hands out and allowed their fear-seeking auras to find unsuspecting people as they fought for their lives. Judah was not envious of the unfortunate men and women who had to endure those auras. He knew firsthand how hard it was to deal with your biggest fears coming to life.

"Look forward, and keep moving," Elora commanded. "All of this was for nothing if you don't get into the castle."

Purple troll monsters appeared in the path of the force field. They blocked the group from moving forward and surrounded them in a complete circle. They drew their blades and began to swipe at the force field. With each hit that they delivered Judah began to feel dizzy. He stumbled to his knees and gripped his head into his hands. He winced in pain, but as the blows continued, the pain began to rise to an unbearable level. He let out a scream that made everyone in the force field jump.

His head radiated pain. He had no idea that agony of this caliber existed. Tears filled his eyes and he looked at the purple trolls that surrounded the force field. For a brief moment, the force field fell.

"Jayden!" Elora yelled.

She didn't have to finish her sentence. Everyone knew what she wanted him to do. Jayden placed his hands on the ground and closed his eyes. From behind the guards, Judah saw a hand shoot out of the ground. The hand was a sickly grey color with the skin peeling and missing in places. The fingernails were yellow and covered in dirt. As it rose out of the ground and more of its body was revealed, Jayden saw that skin was missing off the zombie's face. Its teeth were decayed and broken with brown sludge caked on them.