Shield of Fire
The forgotten outpost

Loftak steps into something causing her to stand perfectly still like a pillar of salt. A thick click echoes around and her foot begins to sink slightly as the pedestal moves down into the dry land. “Everyone, don’t move” she barks and instantly everyone freezes.

Crini - as the smallest of all - is the one whose body is more vividly responding to the vibrations coming from the ground. The muffled sound of pistons coming back to life and gears turning fills the void of the silence previously conquering the air. Crini’s body acts out of instinct and her right hand slides inside the pocket of her trousers, circling her fingers around the metal cylinder.

A soft gust of air turns into a strong breeze breathing hot air wildly at their faces. The dust on a spot further away from them ahead pops up from the ground, creating a small cyclone. A monster? Or the guardian they referred to?

In a blink of an eye, the deafening ground-cracking sound hits their ears hard as the soil they were watching flies high in the air. A large round structure emerges from the ground below, rising in front of them. When the wall is reaching up to the level of the Ethnian’s height, a booming clank rackets and the wall stops moving. However, the interior is still in motion, and a second layer of the wall rises up to an equal height before it stops and another comes from its inside.

When the resonance of the pistons and gears humming and turning stops, the group replaces a 180-metre tower standing before them right from the bowels of Ethnos. Some are holding their breaths while others gasp in shock as the spiral structure stops moving.

“Unbelievable” Lura whispers making Crini’s head snap in his direction. Never throughout the journey did she hear him shocked or in awe. And now, not only his voice but his expression too was screaming with these feelings.

“The forgotten outpost. It is true then,” Moiki and Zoiki utter in wonder in perfect synchronicity. “The last remnants of Ethnos’ history.”

“What are we waiting for?” Triana exclaims with a newfound strength. “We have a guardian to face!” She yells dashing towards the tower. Helion turns to Crini giving her a slight nod before he runs after Triana with Lura in tow. Throwing a look over her shoulder to where prince Tadal stands, Crini starts running, following the trail of the others.

Exhaustion was reaching out to her, but Crini was in denial to let it get the upper hand. Her desire to reach the top and finally make it to Encree was weighing more on the mental scale in her head. Xepo’s soothing voice was giving her strength and courage to proceed. She was doing the impossible. This tournament was not for humans. And Crini proved herself to be resilient throughout the journey so far. A tour de force worth writing about. Crini playfully thought.

As she was approaching the tower, a massive arch entrance made its way into her vision. The walls were made from the same material they were stepping onto for so many days. Brushing her fingers on a nearby wall, the substance reminded Crini of sand castles, but they were not compared to the ease the sand castles were collapsing to the water’s force. This was built to last and the fact that it survived after a great war plus a century of time’s passing was strong evidence.

Passing the gate, Crini slows down to catch her breath. Triana, Lura and Helion appear in front of her, all standing in a large round carved piece of rock. Stepping on it, Crini’s eyes float over the carvings on the round piece beneath their feet. It seems the plate is split in various depictions.

“Remind you of something?” Helion’s voice washes over her as he approaches from behind.

Looking closely, Crini surprisingly recognises the images. “The creation of Ethnos?” she whispers.

“Someone indeed was paying attention,” he hums in contentment. “Very well.”

Soon, the rest of the group is in the structure, all looking around the tall walls in admiration. Strangely, there are no markings on the walls or any signs to replace a way to come up.

“There’s no staircase or anything to point out where to go if we want to make it to the top.” Poinary’s disappointed tone matches the mood spreading amongst the contestants.

“How could they use this thing?” Koniaak wonders kicking nothing but dust.

Everyone looks upset as the minutes pass and the deadline which they should reach Encree comes sooner. All except two.

Moiki and Zoiki are thrown on the floor on their knees, studying thoroughly the round rock plate below them. With their slender fingers, the two Sopolians trace every crack and slit on it, in hopes to activate something that will lead them to the top of the outpost. A soft clank makes Crini walk closer to them. Tilting her head to the side, she notices the metal cube hosting the map, fallen on the rocky ground.

Bending down, she takes the cube with both hands and turns towards them. “This dropped from your pocket…” her voice frails as none of them is paying attention. They’re too focused on their task at hand.

Sitting idly looking around, Crini replaces everyone looking around, up to the tall empty space above them, circled by strong sand-like walls. Not a lever, no buttons or anything. Xepo was out of words too. Every time Crini attempted to ask him, he was left without answers.

Out of options and with all the rest not paying attention to her Crini decides to open the map. And what she beholds when it opens is far beyond her expectation and imagination.

A/N: Hello everyone! I hope you enjoy the story. Sadly the book will come to an end, there's one more chapter which will conclude the journey for now.

Soon, I'll be posting chapters of the second book of the series, called 'The Earth Crown'. Are you ready to follow Crini on adventures in the gigantic forests of Encree?