FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

This story contains violence but not in yiff, gay relationships and love but no yiff this time. There is blood, gore, and death in it. If any of these things offend you now is the time to leave.

Special thanks go to wolgram96 for allowing me to use the character Harandoom who he helped create for this story.

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Part 12

There is a burst of activity as everyone in the room begins to rush about the house gathering what they need for our upcoming fight. I just stand in the center of the room watching as my pack prepares for what we have sworn to do, protect the village. Rick, Jasper, and Tabatha move around barking orders out to various other wolves in the pack as they gather weapons and supplies that we may need. Aside from knowing that there is a force attacking the village we don't know what we are going up against.

Shadow disappears for a moment but soon reappears by my side dressed in solid black clothes with his sword strapped over his shoulder, he gives me a forced grin as he stands at attention at my side to which I respond with just a nod. I can't help but be proud of my mate at how well he has taken on the position as one of my betas alongside Rick and Jasper.

Rick appears on my opposite side wearing a silver metal breast plate and metal greaves, but no other armor. He sets his steel war hammer down in front of him, the head on the ground so the handle point strait up. He rests his hands on the end of his handle and looks around the room. On each hip he has a short sword as back up weapons.

Jasper stands to the side of the door partially hidden in shadows, he is wearing a dark colored outfit that easily blends in with the shadows so I can't tell for sure what he is armed with or what color his clothes are. Knowing him however I know that he has at the very least a quiver full of arrows, his longbow, and at least two daggers for close combat.

The rest of the pack slowly files in each dressed in varying amounts of armor. The assortment of weapons varies as well from daggers and short swords, to long swords and hammers, to bows and cross bows. We may be an odd collection but everyone in my pack has trained hard with their chosen weapon and each one is deadly on their own. Together we are all but unbeatable.

I look around at the pack I have led and my feeling of pride only increases. Each of them trusts me with their lives as I trust them with mine. I take a step forward and rap the end of my trident on the floor twice to get everyone's attention. Silence falls over the room as all eyes turn to me.

"We have all sworn to protect this forest, this valley, the village, and all who live within it. Today someone has come and destroyed the peace we have worked hard to create and maintain. They may have come simply to raid and destroy or they may have come with a purpose. I don't know. What I do know is that they made a very big mistake in doing so. They messed with us, messed with our friends, messed with our home." I tighten my grip on my trident and the points begin to glow a deep blue. "Now we go to teach a lesson those who would attack what we have sworn to protect. We go to fight. We go for revenge. WE GO TO WIN!!!"

There is a loud chorus as every wolf in my pack lets out a loud roaring battle cry and lifts their weapons. As one they begin to move to the door but I stop them before they leave. "I know each and every one of you wants to fight today, but I must ask that at least two of you stay behind to protect our home and Aaron. If it were not for him we would not even be aware of the attack and he deserves our protection and respect for his bravery. Those who stay will not be thought less of in any way. In fact, you will be doing me a personal favor."

Everyone looks around to see who will volunteer to stay behind then the three youngest omegas step forward a bit sheepishly trying to hide how scared they are of going to fight. One of them I knew didn't think he was ready for real combat and if someone goes into battle like they are more likely to get hurt or hurt some they don't mean to. The other two are twins, you never see one without the other in anything they do, and usually it's causing trouble. I smile down at the three of them. "A team of three is always better than two in my opinion. Plus this way you can get more done. While we are gone I want you three to work on making bandages, and getting all the medicine in the house together. Hopefully we won't need them, but people get hurt in battles. So you three will be doing one of the most important jobs we need done."

All three look relieved and a bit honored as they nod and say in unison, "Yes Alpha." They quickly hurry off to get started on their tasks. I look around the room, "Well what are the rest of you waiting for? We have an attack to stop." The room quickly empties as everyone heads outside.

Rick leans in close and whispers in my ear, "That was a good move for those three. They were scared shitless about fighting and would have been more of a hindrance if they froze up from fear." I nod, "Yeah, they are more than ready to fight physically, but mentally their not. This lets them save face and still do something constructive to help out." He shakes his head with a smile on his face and heads out the door while Shadow moves up to me next. "Just when I think you're the best alpha ever you do something to impress me even more. I sure lucked out that day when my summoning attacked you." He reaches up and puts a quick kiss on my cheek then follows rick out the door.

I watch the last of my pack file out the doors the smile as I follow them outside and lead them down to the village and towards whatever is waiting for us there.

...........................

The forest thins out as we draw near to the village. I signal for the pack to stop at the tree line so we can observe the village but not be seen ourselves. The scene before us is worse than any of us could have imagined.

Fires burn all across the village, several shops and homes are nothing more than smoldering piles of ash now. Dark figures move through the smoke some are running and screaming in terror while other much larger figures move through slowly cutting down the villagers as they get within reach. Bodies litter the streets, some burned beyond recognition, while others have been cut down while fleeing or trying to protect their friends and loved ones.

In all my years on this earth I have never seen such a savage disregard for life. I hear more than one member of my pack leave their lunch behind a nearby tree. It takes all my self control to not join them.

I raise my trident above my head and let out my loudest howl and as one my pack and I charge into the village to save as many as we can.

The smoke burns my nose and eyes as we move into the village making it hard to breathe and to see where I am going. After a few tense moments my eyes begin getting used to the smoky air and I can make out more of what is around me. I find myself and Shadow going down the street that leads to Rosalie's shop. With that realization fear and dread grip my heart at what I may find when I reach that familiar landmark. We begin to make our way towards what we fear to find.

Moving down the street the sounds of fighting and people dying comes from all directions, but oddly things are quite on our street. We move cautiously down the familiar path our weapons at the ready for any threat we may encounter. Coming around a bend we find what is left of her shop.

The front half has been destroyed and is a smoldering ruin. Slowly approaching the smoking remains of the building we keep our eyes open for any sign of Rosalie, living or dead. But we find nothing. Just as we begin to give up hope of knowing her fate a voice comes out of the smoke to our right, "Well it took you guys long enough, been having to fight off these attackers all on our own here. And it hasn't been easy or fun."

Turning to the source of the voice my heart lightens considerably. Rosalie moves out of the shadow of a nearby alley leading a group of mothers with their children. In her hands is a pole staff easily half again as long as she is tall with a foot long blade on the end. The blade is covered in what looks to be blood.

She walks right up to me and wraps her arms around my waist. "I was really getting worried Aaron didn't get through to you guys." I return her hug, a bit of a tear trying to escape my eye as relief I would not have to be burying one of my oldest friends today floods into my heart. "He reached us. Took a bit of a beating from some of the trees in his way, but he is fine and we are here now." I pull back from her and look around. "Who is attacking and why?"

She steps back and takes on a protective stance in front of the crying children and frightened mothers. "Why they are attacking I have no idea, there is no order to it. They just randomly attack buildings and set fire to them." She looks over at the ruins of her shop. "Mine was among the first that they attacked. As for who they are...." She looks up at me with fear and determination in her eyes. "They are wolves like you and your pack."

That news set my blood boiling in rage. An attack such as this while not unheard of was very rare these days. The stories of such attacks are what had made it so difficult to forge a relationship between my pack and this village in the first place. This would do nothing but make all of my kind villains in the eyes of the villagers. I may even have to move my pack now.

Looking in the eyes of the people that Rosalie is protecting I can see their fear, not only fear of the pack attacking them, but fear of me and Shadow. Seeing that look in their faces directed at me and mate only increases my anger towards those that would destroy the peace I have worked so long and hard to create between this village and my kind.

I close my eyes and let out a long slow breath before opening them again and looking at Rosalie. "If they will follow you there, can you take as many of the villagers as you can to our packs house? I know wolves will be the last thing they will want to see right now but we have room for them as well as medicine and bandages waiting. They will also be protected, three of my pack remained behind to protect Aaron and to prepare for wounded." Rosalie gives me a forced smile. "I will drag them kicking and screaming if I have to Seeker. I know that neither you nor any of your pack would ever harm one of us and they will remember as well." She turns to lead the group out of the village then turns back to me and says with teary eyes, "Do what you can to save our home seeker, but don't sacrifice yourself or your pack. Buildings can be replaced. You can't." I give her single nod and watch as she leads the scared group back through the smoke and disappear.

Turning to Shadow I see a single tear rolling from his eye while his face seems to be carved from stone. He looks at me and I can hear the rage in his voice, "No child should ever see this kind of hell, or experience that kind of fear." I put a hand on his shoulder, "I know they shouldn't, and we are going to do our absolute best to make sure that this terror is short lived and will never be repeated again in their lives or the lives of their children for generations to come." He give me a nod and as one we turn and head down the street looking for our enemies and spoiling for a fight with those who had turned our world upside down.

...........................

Following the sounds of battle we soon come upon a group of figures fighting in the smoke. Even from a distance and through the smoke we can clearly tell the humans apart from the wolves they are fighting against, and losing to. There are six villagers fighting two wolves, both easily over seven feet tall and heavily muscled. Even with three on one odds the wolves are driving the six men back down the street towards a dead end. Shadow and I don't even hesitate to join the fight.

We each take on one of the wolves by jumping in from the sides between them and the villagers. I yell over my shoulder at the men, "RUN, GO FIND YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY AND LEAVE! FIND ROSALIE, SHE WILL GUIDE YOU!" I block a blow from the wolf in front of me with my trident as I watch from the corner of my eye the men standing there in shock. With a quick flurry I knock the wolf back several feet and yell at the men again. "GO NOW! WE WILL HOLD THEM BACK!" My words finally sink into them and the villagers take off down the street we just came from. Now I am able to turn my full attention on the wolf in front of me.

He is an ugly brute, seven and a half feet tall, black and brown marbled fur that is ragged and unkempt. His yellow eyes have an evil, crazed look to them. His left canine tooth is broken short from some past fight. His face is crisscrossed with dozens of scars as is most of his body. This is a wolf that lives for one thing, and one thing only to fight and kill. We lock eyes with each other and I know that I am the next on his list of things to kill, especially since I just cost him three humans.

For a moment he stands there sizing me up then he attacks me with a long, curved, blood drenched sword. What he lacks in style and technique he more than makes up for in raw strength. I manage to block the blow but it still shakes my arms severely and forces me to stagger back a couple feet. If I stay on the defensive with this guy he will eventually wear me down no matter how good my technique is. That leaves me with only one option. Attack!

Shifting my grip just a bit and begin a series of fast shallow strikes at my opponent meant more to keep him off balance and on the defensive than to do any real damage. My sudden change in stance takes him by surprise. It would seem that he is used to always being the attacker and not having to be the one on the defensive. His lack of experience is going to play to my advantage.

With each blow I drive him back another step gaining more and more ground on him. With each step he is forced to take back his rage grows more and more causing him to lose what little control he had to begin with, turning him into a mindless beast. The kind of wolf that is the nightmares of those we protect. He launches a very powerful, but slow, attack at my head bringing his sword straight down. I easily side step it causing him to strike his sword on the stone of the road. The force of his blow is so great that it cracks the stone sending a shower of sparks into the air and causes his sword to shatter in his hands sending small pieces of metal in all directions. I barely lift my arm in time to shield my face. Pin pricks of pain shoot through my arm and side as I am struck by the tiny slivers.

I lower my arm and look at my opponent. He is staring down at the hilt and few inches of metal that is all that remains of his sword with a look of stunned confusion. His confusion doesn't last long enough for me to launch another attack though. Throwing his ruined sword to the side he decides, in his blind rage, to attack me with his bare claws. I barely have time to raise my trident so its points are aimed straight at the attacking wolf before he collides with me.

We go down in a tangle of fur and limbs rolling for several feet before coming to a stop. My back lands on a rather large rock sending another wave of pain through my body. I am unable to move from my spot however. My first fear was that I had broke my back and was now paralyzed with no way to defend myself. Then my mind clears a bit from the sudden pain and I realize that I can still feel all my limbs and can even move them to a degree, though not much. I soon realize that I am being pinned to the ground by the wolf that I have been locked in combat with only he isn't moving.

Focusing all my strength to my arms I manage to roll him off of me and onto his back. I then see why he is no longer moving to kill me. His lifeless eyes stare up at me the rage of his dying breath frozen on his face in death. My trident is sticking out of his chest, the center point piercing right through his heart and out his back, the two side points are embedded in his chest to either side. One pierced a lung, the other his spine. His death was instant and painless at least.

I get back to my feet looking down at the lifeless body below me. He is the first that I have had to kill in over a century, but I am sure he won't be the last I kill today. Then I remember that I am not the only one fighting and I look around for Shadow. For a moment I can't find him or the wolf he is fighting and then I see them off to the side of the street.

Shadow is down on one knee blocking his opponent's sword with his own just inches above his head. I make a move to start to help him but before I make it two steps Shadow puts his training with Rick to good use. With a sudden burst of strength he knocks his opponent's sword to the side, rises up spinning in a fluid and rapid motion. He brings his sword around swinging for the other wolfs head. His opponent raises his blade to block Shadow but is just a second to slow. Shadows blade cuts cleanly and swiftly through the wolf's neck easily separating his head from his body in a shower of crimson.

As the wolf's body collapses to the ground Shadow just stands there panting and shaking. I walk up to him and gently put my hand on his shoulder and ask, "You ok love?" He jumps and turns at my touch lifting his sword. When he sees me he drops his sword and presses up against me holding me tight shaking from the fight. He talks into my fur, "I have never killed anyone before...." I wrap my arms around him and hold him close trying to comfort him. I speak softly to him, "It will be ok. It never gets easy to take a life, nor should it. But it will be ok love, and I will be here for you."

He shakes his head against my chest as he mumbles, "It's not just that...." He stills his shaking and turns to look at the body of the wolf he just killed. "I knew him. His name is... was Rand. He was the wolf who I first told I was gay, the one who exposed me to my former alpha." He looks up at me and for the first time since I have met I see fear in his eyes. "My former pack is attacking us."

Hearing those words and seeing that fear in my mates eyes made my heart freeze in my chest. All at once feelings of fear, hatred, panic, anger, and a burning desire to protect my mate flood into to me and nearly drown me in their power. After what feels like hours but is really only a few seconds I manage to look at Shadow and ask, "Are you certain it was him?" He nods, "We grew up together since we were pups, and I would know him anywhere."

I look at the bodies of the two wolves then out into the smoke swirling through the village and wonder how many more of Shadows former pack and friends we will have to face and possibly kill today. He pulls back from me and wipes his eyes on the back of his paw then retakes control of his emotions before speaking, though his voice is still filled with pain, "We need to press on. Maybe if we can find their alpha we can make this stop before anyone else has to die."

With that he wipes the blood from his sword and starts off towards the sounds of another fight. I watch him walk amazed at just how strong he really is. If I had been forced to kill my best friend that I grew up with I don't know that I would be able to continue. Yet my mate is able to force himself to keep going showing just how strong he really is.

...........................

We travel through the village following the sounds of battle. Along the way we meet up with Rick and Jasper who have had their own fights. Rick has a blood soaked bandage around his arm where he evidently received a nasty cut, though not so bad as to prevent him from swinging his hammer which is well covered in blood and bits of fur and bone. Jasper is now wielding both his short swords having abandoned his bow when his arrows ran out. Around the two of them are at least half a dozen bodies of the attacking pack. Though an exact count is hard to make considering how.... excited Rick seems to have gotten with his hammer. The villagers will not appreciate cleaning up that mess.

When they caught sight of us they dropped their weapons and ran up to us. Rick had a scared look on his face as he came up to me, "Seeker, are you ok?" I look at him with a puzzled look. "Yeah I'm fine, a few scratches, but good. Why?" He points at my chest, "So that's not your blood then?"

I look down at my shirt for the first time since my fight. It is torn to shreds and soaked in blood, even my normally golden brown fur is now stained a dark crimson. I had not realized just how much that other wolf bled when he impaled himself on my trident, or how close his sword had gotten to my body on some of his swings.

I manage a half smile and look back at Rick, "No it's not my blood, it came from the other guy." He and Jasper visibly relax a little when they realize that Shadow and I are not seriously harmed. Jasper then asks, "Do you know who these wolves are and why they are attacking?" I look at Shadow and he just looks at the bodies of the wolves Rick and Jasper have defeated, a haunted look in his eyes.

Sighing I look back to Jasper, "We don't know why they are attacking yet. As for who they are..." I notice a tear forming in Shadows eye, someone else he knew well has died here it seems. "They are Shadow's former pack."

Rick and Jasper both look at Shadow, but he is just standing there hiding his emotions behind a stony exterior. Looking back at me Rick asks, "What do you want us to do?" "I want you to save as many of the villagers as you can and send them towards our place, Rosalie is guiding the women and children there now." They both nod and start off down the street. Before they get too far I call after them, "Try not to kill members of the other pack if you can avoid it. I have the feeling that most are here against their will. They wave over their shoulders to acknowledge my orders then fade into the smoke and buildings.

Shadow and I continue our journey down through the village making our way towards the town square, something tells me that's where all of this will be decided. One way or another.

...........................

We reach the town square but stay at the edge. It's quite here and the smoke has thinned out considerably leaving the whole area visible. Looking around the whole area seems to be untouched by the fighting that seems to have surrounded it. The emptiness of the area sets my fur on edge as I grip my trident tighter and move my gaze around the square.

Shadow and I move into the open our weapons held ready as we constantly scan the area for trouble. In all directions around us the sounds of fighting slowly die away as my pack is either driving back the attacking wolves, or are failing to do so.

In the center of the Square is an old well that at one time was the village's only source of water, but new wells now serve the town. Nearing the well I can sense the water deep within it. But it is not too deep for me to manipulate. That may come in handy. Continuing around the square we notice that all the sounds of fighting have come to an end. In fact all sound has stopped except the crackling of fires.

From beside me Shadow speaks up, "We are being watched." Lifting my trident in front of me I respond, "I know and I think we are surrounded." A laughing comes from the shadows of two buildings, a deep grinding laugh that sets my nerves on edge. Then an equally deep and grinding voice says from the shadows, "You are more than surrounded. You are both dead, you just don't know it yet."

We both turn to the sound of the laughter and out of the shadow steps a monster of a wolf. He stands at just over eleven feet tall, is clad in simple black armor that blends almost perfectly with his jet black fur. The parts of his body that are exposed are crisscrossed with hundreds of scars. He is missing his left eye while his right eye is a blood red color, and almost appears to be glowing with an inner, evil light. He locks his one eye on the two of us and for the first time in centuries I am truly afraid for my life.

Reflexively Shadow and I both take a step back holding our weapons at the ready as the wolf steps out of the darkness. Once the wolf is fully out of the shadows he stops moving towards us and stares first at me then at Shadow and speaks. "Are you not going to introduce me to your friend here Shadow?" Out of the corner of my eye I see Shadow swallow hard before speaking, "Seeker, this is my former Alpha, Harandoom. He is the one who ordered me killed. All because I was...."

Harandoom cuts him off by saying, "You deserved far worse than that runt, and today you will see your new pack destroyed starting with this Seeker here." He eyes me up and down, "If this is the best your pack has to offer killing your alpha and taking over will be doing the world a favor." I take a step forward and address him directly, "I am the Alpha of this pack, and you will find I am much more than I seem I assure you." At that Harandoom blinks his one eye then throws his head back in laughter.

While he is laughing I stand my ground and place the end of my trident on the ground and watch him. Eventually he stops laughing pretending to wipe a tear from his eye. "Oh that is good little wolf. You are much too short to be a true Alpha, only the strong and fierce can ever lead, and then only by destroying those who would challenge them. Just as I will destroy you."

I look him straight in the eye as I speak, "There is more to being a leader than simply being stronger and taller than everyone else. That's a lesson that I have spent the better part of the last 3000 years learning. And one that I fully intend to teach you today." When I mention that I have been around for 3000 years Harandoom suddenly stops laughing and a flicker of fear crosses his face only to be replaced with hatred. "No, you can't be.... There is no way that you could be.... You can't be...."

Understanding flashes in my mind at his stammering and I move my trident to my left hand and hold up my right showing him my tattoo as I speak. "Yes, I am the last guardian of Atlantis, and I am much stronger than I look. Still convinced you are going to kill me?"

My words must have caused his hatred to reach new levels because he reaches behind his back and pulls out a black blade that is just as ugly as he is and attacks me. His first blows are easy for me to avoid but before long they begin getting harder to avoid and block. Eventually I am using all my skill and all my experience to keep up with him and I get the sinking feeling that he still hasn't hit his full potential.

I break away from him on one attack and roll to the side to try and formulate a plan of attack. It is then that I notice we are not alone any more. All around the square are wolves watching our fight. On one side is my pack on the other his, all eyes are on us watching and waiting in silence.

I take opportunity of this short break to try and get him talking again, "Why are you attacking us and this village? We never did anything to you." He grins an evil smile filled with yellowed and broken teeth. "This attack wasn't about you. It was about him." He points past me at Shadow. "We came to seek vengeance for his betrayal of us." The wolves of Harandoom's pack all nod with stern looks on their faces.

Shadow's jaw drops at the accusation before he speaks, "I betrayed YOU?!?" He points the tip of his sword at Harandoom. "You are the one who ordered to have me killed while on a hunt. You are the one who ordered me killed because I was different." Shadows voice grew with each word till he was shouting at the top of his lungs. "YOU ARE THE ONE WHO ORDERED YOUR OWN SON KILLED! ALL BECAUSE I AM GAY!"

Shadows words seem to have revealed some long buried secret because the members of Harandoom's pack all stared at him with wide eyes and open mouths. All but a select few, those few were among the meanest looking in the pack and I would place a safe bet they were part of Harandooms inner circle. His one eye got so wide with shock I thought it would fall out of his head. That's when the pieces fell into place and I understood the reason for the attack.

Standing between my mate and his former alpha I glare at Harandoom. "That's why you're here, you told your pack that Shadow betrayed you in some way so they would want to kill him. But you lied to them, you lied because he was gay and you were ashamed of him." Then something that Shadow said rang in my mind, YOU ARE THE ONE WHO ORDERED YOUR OWN SON KILLED! I look between Shadow then back at Harandoom and I can see it for the first time, its faint but there is definitely a family resemblance.

Looking at Harandoom a new level of hatred swells in my chest towards this beast. "You tried to kill your son. You are Shadows father, and you tried to kill him. You tried to kill my mate." Faces of anger and hatred appear in his pack, but they are not directed at me or any member of my pack, but at Harandoom. He seems to be oblivious to the mood of his own pack at this revelation as he speaks to Shadow. "Yes I ordered you killed, but you are no son of mine. I would never allow a son of my blood to be gay and live. That is why I am here today. Killing this Atlantian is just a bonus."

He turns his ugly gaze back to me. "I was once given a glimpse into my future by a seer you see. And he told me that I would be victorious in all my battles and would never know the touch of death unless a child of Atlantis was to return to the world and form the guardians again. You are that child of Atlantis." He waves his arms around him laughing. "But there are no other guardians. That means if I kill you here today, no guardians will be made, and I will never die."

A deep sense of dread filled me at those words. If I lose this fight today the world will be at this monsters mercy for all time. I know that I have to find a way to defeat him, but I don't know that I have the skills needed. His natural size and strength far exceeds my own and his skill matches my own despite my many centuries of study and training. I have to keep him talking give myself time to figure out away to defeat him.

Then a thought comes to mind and I ask him, "How did you manage to find us here? Find Shadow?" He lowers his arms and rests his sword on his shoulder. "Oh that was easy. I sent a spy to find him." He holds out his left hand palm down and a glowing circle forms on the ground. Within the circle darkness grows and solidifies into the shape of a creature. As it grows it forms into a winged gargoyle with glowing red eyes. When it is fully formed it spreads its wings and lets out an ear splitting screech causing every wolf in the area to cover their ears. Harandoom is a magic user as well. This just got even worse.

I stare at the summoned gargoyle then at Harandoom. "Here I was hoping Shadow got his gift for magic from his mother's side of the family." This makes him laugh yet again. "Oh she had power as well and after she gave me a son I made sure she would never use them against me." I hear a gasp come from Shadow. Apparently he never knew what had happened to his mother.

"Summoning's can be very useful creatures. This one told me exactly where to find Shadow." Harandoom waves his hand and the gargoyle vanishes in a puff of smoke. He begins to walk around Shadow and I in a large slow circle. I keep myself between him and my mate. Then without any prior change of body language that I was able to detect he launches a fresh attack at me with his sword.

If I had not already had my trident at the ready I would have lost my head at that moment. But thankfully I had not let my guard down and was able to block it at the last moment, stopping the blade just a few inches from my face. He launches attack after attack I am barely able to block them. But each blow gets closer and closer.

He aims another blow at my head but instead of trying to block it I jump to the side, but I don't jump fast enough and his sword strikes my left arm. Searing white pain explodes through my body. My entire world exists only as pain. Slowly my vision begins to clear. I'm on the ground on my right side, my trident is lying on the ground in front of me, and I can no longer feel my left arm below the shoulder. I hope that it is only because of the pain from the wound and not from permanent damage.

Blinking I manage to push myself up so I am in a kneeling position. Blood is flowing freely down my left arm and I am quickly getting light headed. I only have a few minutes of consciousness left at most. Raising my head I see Harandoom slowly walking towards me his sword dripping with my blood and I realize I don't have minutes, I have seconds at most if I want to live.

As my vision starts to blur I hear him laughing. "So the last child of Atlantis dies and I will be unstoppable!" When he is still several feet away from me he raises his sword so as to stab me through the heart. I stare up at him defiantly refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing me give up.

He rears back to stab but just before he plunges the sword in my chest a dark figure appears between us and the sword protrudes from their back dripping in blood. I look up and the pain in my body leaves instantly to be replaced by an even deeper pain in my heart.

Shadow is standing in front of me, his arms outstretched and Harandooms blade is buried in his chest. He sacrificed himself in order to by me another few moments. Everyone is stunned by his actions, even Harandoom who lets go of his sword leaving it buried in Shadow's chest and steps back in shock.

Shadow falls to his knees then on to his side. I scramble to him and turn him onto his back so I can see his face. He looks up with unfocused eyes and reaches his hand for my face as he whispers to me. "I couldn't.... watch.... he couldn't.... I had to try..... stop him...." I take his hand in my right hand and hold it close. "Shadow, my love. You shouldn't have done that." His breathing becomes more labored as a trickle of blood flows from the side of his mouth. With a rasping breath he says in a whisper so quite I can barely hear it, "I love you, Seeker..." His eyes slowly slide closed and his hand falls from mine.