Page 3 of A Surrender Of Hope

The calm, snow-covered field where I’m standing starkly contradicts the behemoth of a castle lording over a small kingdom below me. Mountains rise on all sides of a ravine, andat its center is a city ablaze with fire. The castle resides at its center; its dark red stone glimmers in the sun, and the uneven cut of the walls makes it look like they are dripping blood in the bright light of day. Multiple towers spiral up to the sky with harsh lines and odd angles, making them appear like the twisted claws of a Beastia. They close in around the central portion of the castle with an open ceiling and a large, black tree protruding from the center.

Fire lines the blood-red walls of the castle; the flames are so high I can easily see their glow from at least a mile away. Crying and wailing echo through the air, the eerie sound sending dread through me as I look at the small, dilapidated houses of the kingdom. Everything is in ruins, smoke and fire fill the air, making a dense smog that lingers above it all. People run through an open gate on one side of the city, and chaos unfolds as they sprint for the cover of a forest to the north at the base of a mountain.

On the south side, an army of men and Beastia line up around the city walls in formation. Their armor is dirty and weathered as they face forward, the heavy scent of death lingering in the air. I stare in shock and disbelief at the hundreds of Beastia standing under control at the sides of the thousands of soldiers. There are so many that the army wraps around the city walls and out of my view.

A battle horn I’ve heard before sounds in the distance. I look to the ridge of the mountains, watching as a man appears, sitting astride an enormous animal I’ve never seen. It has a lion's body with massive feathered wings sprouting from its shoulder blades and a sharp beak where its mouth should be. Its coat looks like crushed black velvet, lightening to a silvery gray at its head and deadly-looking paws. It opens its mouth and a roar that could rival a Beastia comes out, making the army below tremble as they look up at the man.

I watch, mouth parting in shock at the familiar face of the man who holds a huge hammer in one hand. His long black hair is braided, twisted back in a complicated design, and a silver crown rests on his head. His dark green eyes narrow as he takes in the monstrous-looking army below him with a calm I only wish I could replicate.

“Lennox?” I whisper, stepping forward, then stop as I keep studying him. His strong jaw is clean-shaven, and a scar runs over his right eye, giving him a roguishly handsome appearance. He looks older than Lennox, not by much, but there are small wrinkles in the corners of his eyes that Nox doesn't have.

The horn sounds again, and the ground trembles under my feet, making me stumble in surprise. I throw out my hands and regain my balance just as another man rides up next to the one who looks like Nox. This man I’ve seen before in a dream. His fine-tailored suit coat is light blue with gold lining the cuffs at his wrists, his white hair longer now than when I first saw him, the silvery white-blond strands hanging well below his shoulders. The crown on top of his head is silver, but more elaborate than doppelganger Nox's, swirling in an ornate pattern and dipping low on his forehead before curving up and over his ears.

Valen’s dad.

He is riding what I can only describe as an enormous deer, its antlers so large I wonder how the animal can keep its head up. Its body shape resembles more of a horse, the strong muscles shifting under its white fur as its master pulls it to a stop beside the other man. I gasp as I look between them, realization dawning as my pained mind tries to take in what’s so clear in front of me. If one is Valen’s father, the other has to be Lennox’s. Movement behind them draws my attention back to the two kings who stare down between the army below them,and I watch as two very different armies slowly emerge from the trees. One is in the black fighting leathers I’m so used to seeing on the guys, and the other is in shining silver armor.

The black army is taller and broader, holding weapons that look like they were crafted in the very pits of Hell. The soldiers in silver stride forward with a unity only possible through years and years of training together. Their movements are in sync; their faces the picture of cold heartless killers. In place of weapons, magic lights their fingertips, making the air around them shimmer as if it is alive.

As the new armies move forward, the sky darkens, and the trees quake. A shadow, moving like tar, circles around the castle below. Its presence grows as it moves through the city, leaving screams of agony in its wake until it spreads over the army of Beastia and men. Just as before, the darkness curls in on itself, and then an explosion of magic sends everything nearby to the ground. A massive wave of sound snaps from it, taking down the trees and even a tiny portion of the city walls.

“Shields!” Valen’s father roars, and suddenly the silver army behind him moves as one. All of them step back on their right foot, hands outstretched; then an equally explosive wave of blue and green magic erupts from them, forming a dome around the two kings’ armies just as the wave of red magic hits them.

The spot on my wrist itches, then lights up with a burn of pain, making me groan as the feeling of fire races up my arm.

I close my eyes, already knowing what I’m going to find as the magic settles. When I hesitantly open them, I watch as the giant male stands tall at the front of the Beastia army, his thick black hair coursing down his back in intricate braids. His chest is bare save for the black leather belts strapped diagonally across his body, holding even more weapons than the first timeI saw him. He clasps the enormous deadly sword in his hand as the largest Beastia I have ever seen steps up to his side.

The monster is beyond description, larger even than Razar’s Beast. Fear courses through my body as it slowly turns its head from the Kings’ armies and looks directly at me. The black spike-like fur is patchy, parts of its body scarred and mangled. It’s several heads taller than every other Beastia behind it, and its paws look as if talons are strapped to its feet rather than sharp claws.

I step back, eyes wide as the monster tracks every slight movement I make with an awareness that scares me. The red glow of their eyes is almost non-existent, looking more pink than red. I inhale sharply as I take them in. They’re not like the eyes of the other Beastia I’ve seen before. These look almost… human.

Darkness swirls at the giant’s feet, making the Beastia snarl and finally tear its attention from me. The giant steps forward, a feral smile spreads across his face, exposing long, sharp canines behind his full lips, making him appear more beast than a man. All while the symbols etched into his leather-like skin begin to glow.

“Why am I here?” I wonder out loud.

Is this simply another dream? Am I physical again? Only the massive Beastia has looked my way, not even the giant who walked directly to me in my last dream. I hold my hand up in front of me and curse as the spiraling red symbol on my wrist glows. It fades in and out like a heartbeat—a living thing inside me.

The battle horn blows again, the same horn the Umbra Hunters blow when Beastia attack the castle, and I look back at the ridge where the two Demon kings sit astride their animals. Their army has grown, curving up and over the mountain ridge and stretching so far I can’t even guess their numbers.

There is another blow of the horn, and I can see their army readying for battle. Shit, the people! I whip my head back to the gates, watching as men, women, and children run from the city. Most of them were in tattered clothes, looking underfed and dirty. But just as I’m about to look back at the kings, a woman in a clean, green cloak catches my attention, and something inside me twists, making me step forward.

A man wraps his arm protectively around the cloaked woman’s shoulders as they stumble through the gates of the city. Their clothes are finer than the others, and instead of running for the forested area to seek shelter, they run across the flat ground east of the city directly toward me. A wisp of bright blonde hair whips out from under the hood of her cloak, and I strain my eyes to try to see her better. The pair keep tossing glances over their shoulders as if they’re afraid they are being followed.

I watch as the woman stumbles, the man catching her just before she falls. Both of them reach out, cradling her swollen belly, and my eyes widen. The woman is heavily pregnant. Like a magnet, I’m drawn to her, watching intently as the man urges her to run faster, and they finally make it to the base of the mountain. The world shifts then, the air around me growing heavy as the giant below releases a roar, hand outstretched toward the Kings. The Beastia charge as the world spins, my attention bouncing between the cloaked woman and man, then back to the armies.

Dammit! The water effect on my vision starts again. I begin to free-fall as the ground gives out beneath me, and the world darkens as I scream in fear. It only lasts maybe a handful of seconds, and I squint as light once again fills my hazy vision. I clutch my stomach, willing myself not to throw up as I lean forward and inhale deep breaths.

“What the actual hell?” Turning on my heel, I take in the dark green, densely wooded forest I now stand in. There is a tiny log cabin to the right, smoke coming from the chimney, and the smell of something delicious hangs in the air. “Where the hell am I now?”

“Lucas?” The voice startles me as I turn, watching as the woman with the bright blonde hair steps out from the small cabin, a cute chubby baby sitting on her hip. “Dinner’s ready,” she says with a bright smile as the man I saw her with steps right beside me, scaring me so badly I swear I jump out of my ridiculous silk slippers.

“Perfect timing,” he murmurs, walking over to her and dusting a soft kiss on her lips before he grins at the tiny baby, who has matching blonde hair as the woman, and scoops her up into his arms.

“The wards?” the woman asks as the man, Lucas, peppers the baby’s face with kisses.

“Holding, but I’ll need to add some extra magic to them soon,” he whispers. A frown graces her face as she looks around the forest, her eyes moving over me like I’m not here.

“Are you sure… I can sense them near,” she admits, shoulders slumping. “What if they are tracking her magic?”

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