NIGHT - I. Rin (best large ereader txt) 📗

recognized the silhouettes of the Goblins’ King, the Prince of Vampires and the Prince Night. They were standing there, holding the reins of their horses and talking about something.

 

“We’re almost there!” she said to the witch. “But I can’t see your brother.”

 

At this point, a man on a horseback went out from the mountains side.

 

“Look,” Margo pointed at him. “Here is Huron!”

 

It so happened that our heroes and the sorcerer came to the arranged place at the same time from different sides.

 

Prince Night and Vampires’ Prince helped the girl and the witch to get down. They kissed their hands in turn. The Goblins’ King also came up and kissed only Margo’s hand. He just slightly bowed to Angelica. The girl pretended not to notice this and all the others were so busy that did not pay any attention to it. Huron dismounted and immediately got down to the plan:

 

“The situation in the mountains is much worse than I thought. Some unknown bastards are everywhere in the valley and for the ritual I have to get inside the cave. Margo, I need your help, otherwise I will not be able to keep everything under control.”

 

“No problem, Huron!” said Edward. “We’ll get your back. What will we do next?”

 

“The ceremony of sealing the evil forces back into the abyss consists of three stages,” said the sorcerer. “On the first step we’ll unlock the barrier; Margo has put to withhold the evil in one place and so it cannot to spread throughout the Kingdom of Night. After the barrier unlocks all creatures and reptiles begin to overreach and the task of the army is not to give them to do that. On the second stage, I will open the gates into the abyss. I do not know what might happen after this, but it is likely that forces that are even more powerful may try to sneak into this world. At this stage, the troops of the Prince and the Goblins’ King had better step back, giving the opportunity to vampires give the battle, because it will be not only the physical, but also the energy confrontation. I do not think people or goblins will be able to stop them... On the third stage, I will call the elements - water, fire and air to help me. With their help, I will try to get the evil back into the deep, and sealed its gates with my soul. It is if things shape up in our favor.”

 

“What if not?” asked Lica.

 

“If not the advantage will be on the side of the evil. Then you will play it off the cuff! Is everybody agree with this strategy?”

 

Swein, Edward and Arthur nodded.

 

“Now, I ask you to give my sister and me a small group of sol-diers, so that we can get to the caves and the soldiers will get our backs.” Prince Night jumped into the saddle and immediately went to his army. Huron, the Prince of Vampires and the Goblins’ King

 

also got in the saddles and were ready for further actions. Angelica was expecting a sight or breath from Swein, but he  was cold and indifferent to her. However, Arthur came closer to the girl and said:

 

“Angelica, I beg you, no matter what happens, stay away from the mountains! You’d better go back to the Sleepy Lake and wait for us there.” Lica nodded. She couldn’t believe that it was a reality. It seemed to her that it was just a long dream.

 

Half an hour later Edward returned with a small group of warriors on the horses.

 

“These people will accompany and cover you if you need help!” he turned to Huron and Margo. “Our armies will appear immediately after you, be ready to fight. Therefore, I ask you, Prince, and you, Swein, go back to your troops and take command.”

 

Then the Goblins’ King got into conversation:

 

“I suggest the army of vampires to refrain from taking action. People and goblins can prevent all attacks of living monsters, while vampires should join the battle when ordinary creatures will be replaced by energy beings.”

 

“I agree with Swein,” Edward nodded.

 

“I don’t mind, gentlemen!” Arthur said.

 

He jerked the reins and went to his army. The Goblins’ King and the Prince Night also went back to their troops. The small cavalry group, led by Huron and Margo, galloped towards the mountains. The united army moved immediately behind them. The horde of people, goblins and vampires were walking and riding past Angelica. At last, she did realize that everything happening here was the reality. She panicked.

 

“What if they all die?!” she thought with horror. “Then I’ll never see Swein or Arthur or Edward or Margo or Huron!?”

 

Lica did not know what to do. She remembered the words of the Vampire to stay away from the mountains and go to the Sleepy Lake but the girl was just not able to do that.

 

“I cannot leave my friends!” she decided.

 

So, when the last troops passed, Angelica went after the army. She was riding in a distance, so as not to attract anybody’s attention. It seems that everyone was so busy thinking about the battle that no one noticed her.

 

When the first rock appeared ahead, she tied her horse to a bush growing nearby and climbed to the top. The moon was shining brightly and everything was as plain as the nose on your face. What she saw plunged her into shock. Where before there was a flat place, now everywhere were only ravines. On the right, she saw a deep abyss, which she had never seen before. A wide valley at the entrance to the cave was cluttered with huge boulders among which horrible crea-tures were crawling. Some of them were like huge dinosaurs, which the girl saw in the books on zoology. Others were very different from all the beasts on the earth. The whole space was teeming with rotting bodies of these horrible creatures. Apparently, the severe fights were the usual thing there. The entrance in to the valley was closed by two rocks, and our heroine was now on one of them.

 

When she saw all this horror and smelled this entire stench, she felt bad. She felt dizzy and a lump in the throat. At this point, at the bottom of the mountain, at the mouth of the valley, she heard clatter and a small cavalry group began to break through to the cave entrance.

 

The riders went among the rocks by the shortest route. All the creatures crawling among the rocks heard the sound of hooves and began to surround the warriors. The soldiers drew their swords and began to repel the attacks of the hideous monsters. Huron and Margo shot a way out and sent their horses on. Apparently, that it was very angered the creeping reptiles. They became more aggressive. The warriors were fighting bravely, but the advantage wasn’t on their side.

 

At this point, Prince Night and the Goblins’ King gave a sign to the armies - to go into the valley! People and Goblins came simultaneously from two flanks and immediately began to fight with the monsters. The monsters didn’t expect such a dirty trick and confused retreated to the mountains, while the sorcerer and his sister could get to the cave save and sound. Angelica saw that they dismounted, untied the bag with magic things from the saddle and disappeared in the dark cave.

 

“The huge spiders are also there!” she whispered, biting her lips.

 

‘The second stage’

 

 

Meanwhile, the troops of Edward and Swein were attacking dinosaurs. The soldiers were fighting desperately and soon it became clear that the united army was winning.

 

“Thank God! Thank God!” Angelica was whispering.

 

The bastards tried to break out of the valley but apparently, something was holding them. They were lashing among the rocks, jumping over the ravines but could not leave the territory, sur-rounded by the mountains. Suddenly something happened...

 

There was a buzz, and the earth shook. Immediately after that, a few monsters escaped of the valley on the road leading to the Ghosts’ fields.

 

“The barrier, they have unlocked the barrier!” Lica shouted from the top.

 

Nobody heard her, but without this warning, Prince Night and the Goblins’ King had already known that the first step was done and now nothing held the predators in the valley.

 

“It means that Margo and Huron were able to trick the spiders and got to the right place in the caves,” Angelica said to herself. “They must have already started the ritual.”

 

The troops of people and goblins regrouped. Now they had to move beyond the valley to prevent the predators of getting into the Night Kingdom from the side of the mountains. Archers were climbing on the huge boulders and with their sharp arrows getting the fastest monsters.

 

Suddenly, the ground beneath the feet of the soldiers shook again. Some of them even could not keep on their feet and fell down. Here and there through the cracks in the earth more and more monster were coming outside. Some were worse than others. Making a terrible roar they as mad pounced on the people and goblins. Huge spiders went out of the cave stabbing their jaws into the soldiers’ bodies and sucked their blood. The army was suffering heavily and they had to retreat.

 

Lica was terribly nervous. She tried to see Swein or Edward but couldn’t find them in the crowd.

 

There were more and more monsters. Angelica looked with horror at what was happening. She looked back at the army of vampires behind and couldn’t understand why they were standing still. The mountains were shaking. Large stones and boulders were rolling down. A huge crack ran from the cave to the deep abyss. In a moment all monsters were frozen and then howled terribly.

 

The Earth shrank and a thick yellow fog began to come out of the abyss.

 

“The second stage!” cried Lica. “This is the second stage! Go back!” But the soldiers beneath could not hear her because of the swords clashing, howling monsters and groaning wounded war-riors. The girl jumped up on a huge boulder at the very top of the  mountain waving her arms and shouting:

 

“Go back! Retreat immediately!”

 

Having realized that they didn’t hear her, Angelica ran down the mountain to the army of vampires. She was running down the hill and shouting with all her voice:

 

“Hurry up! The second stage! Arthur, it’s the second stage!” The Prince of Vampires noticed coming down girl and instantly understood what the phrase: ‘The second stage!’ meant.

 

He immediately ordered his army to attack and the vampires drew their swords and rushed into the valley.

 

“What have I done?” horrified Lica. “I did not say that the fog rises from the abyss! If they go directly to the cave, they may not notice it. What then?!”

 

Angelica ran to her horse, which was neighing and lunging on the leash. The girl untied it and climbed into the saddle. She tugged at the reins and followed the vampires.

 

“Arthur!” Lica cried. “Ride to the abyss! To the abyss!”

 

She caught up with them almost at the entrance to the valley. “Go to the abyss!” she cried, pointing the opposite to the cave

 

direction.

 

The Prince of Vampires stopped his horse and looked there. The yellow fog was getting thicker and rising higher and higher.

 

“To the right flank!” Arthur briefly commanded