The Sky-Prince had just returned with news from the Northern Gate. The battle there had not stopped and there had been great losses on either side, but the Sky-Queen and their ever-reducing army still kept the fight going. It seemed that Winter had concentrated most of his forces outside the Southern Gate.
More news came from the sea, where the mermaids’ army, led by the fearless Eleanor, was fighting to cripple Winter’s troops from the water. The beach was now covered with the lifeless bodies of hundreds of ravens and wolfmen that had fallen prey to their sharp cross bolts, while the sea had turned red with the blood of their fallen ones. The queen herself had been wounded when the White Lord had interfered, using his magic to freeze the sea nearby and turning the waves into deadly icicles. More brave mermaids were killed or wounded in the process. Séraphin informed him that Eleanor had retreated back under the sea, authorizing Nemo to lead his sisters in her stead. Daniel imagined this hadn’t gone down well with Vanessa, the main pretender for the Sea Throne, but he was happy about his friend. Nemo had finally accepted his rightful place among his people, ending his pilgrimage and going back where he belonged.
Back on this side of the city, the ice blocks moved once again to let out the whole armada of wolfmen that soon swarmed the land before them. They did not attack; instead, they kept on lining up outside the white walls of the closed citadel, while their sheer numbers made for a terrifying show of force that had even the bravest of the Endërland warriors tremble to their bone. The battle had done little to lessen their numbers, while it had more than halved the forces of men and wingmen fighting for their kingdom. Still, they stood firm and unwavering behind Daniel, who once again mounted Lightning and waited for the White Lord to show up and meet them.
He said nothing to anyone about what he planned to do; the one hour that Winter had given them was up, and this was the moment of truth. All eyes were on him, wondering, pleading, hoping, and this time, he knew he would not let them down.
Lined up at the front of his army, beside his friends, he noticed at the last minute Hëna taking her place next to his brother once again. When their eyes met, he found that there was no hate behind them, only sadness. He wished he could take that away from her once and for all, and this made him want to defeat Winter even more.
The trumpet announcing the arrival of the White Lord sounded once again, and soon the same chariot led by Butler and escorted as before by the duo of wingmen, paraded in front of them. Carrying the Silver Scepter in his right hand, Winter looked smugly at the diminished army before him. His gaze rested upon Daniel, as the chariot halted in front of him.
‘You have made a decision then?’ Winter asked, sounding confident and pleased with himself.
No longer afraid, and finally sure of what he was doing, Daniel nudged Lightning to go forward, where everyone could see and hear him. He turned around to take one last look at his followers and then back, facing Winter again.
‘I have,’ he said loud and clear. ‘I cannot give you what you ask.’ The smirk froze on Winter’s face, as Daniel boldly continued. ‘What I can give you is a choice; send these creatures back to where they came from and give them back their freedom. Then, release the three Lords and surrender the Silver Throne and the City without any more bloodshed, and I will give you a chance to redeem yourself for all that you’ve done. Refuse and you will be responsible for your own judgment.’
Winter’s face darkened, and a shadow came over it; his eyes grew black, empty, and his voice hoarse and whispery. He laid one hand on Butler’s shoulder and whispered something in his ear. Butler handed him the reins of the two horses drawing the chariot and walked fast in the direction of the gate, disappearing inside the city. Daniel knew what he was about to do.
Winter now focused on Daniel.
‘I see; you think you’ve finally sorted out your identity crisis and now believe you have the power to overthrow me. Well, I think you’re bluffing; you are nothing but a foolish little boy, who has gotten in too deep…’
‘You’re wrong,’ Daniel interrupted him, advancing forward with determination. ‘I am the Great Lord, and my word is law. You, on the other hand, are history, a mistake that has fallen upon me to fix. You are no longer the Lord of Winter, and I am taking from you all the power and authority that was once given to you for that purpose. From this day forth, you will be nothing but a common man, and will answer for all your crimes before those who were once your subjects.’
As Daniel spoke with a thundering voice, the wind picked up blowing wildly, while the earth began to tremble and shake violently, as if from a terrible earthquake. A torrent of lightning and thunders struck down from the sky, tearing at the fabric of the universe itself. People grabbed on to each other, as the ground beneath their feet began to shift uncontrollably.
Before them, the Silver Scepter began to glow red in Winter’s hand, who let it drop to the ground as if it burned him. At the same time, his magnificent crown and beautiful white robes began to melt down like snow next to the fire, revealing the true face and form of the man underneath.
Deep inside the city, in the middle of the garden, the ice statues representing the four Lords began cracking and melting down too, falling to the ground and shattering into thousands of pieces. The wind kept on blowing, taking away all the dark clouds from the sky and leaving behind a celestial parchment full of shining stars and constellations.
When the last bit of cloud disappeared from the sky, the wind died down once again and the earth stopped trembling. On the chariot before them, where the proud White Lord once was, there now stood a man dressed in plain clothes, with dark hair and an even darker face. His empty eyes seemed to be looking directly at Daniel with an intensity that would paralyze even the bravest of men with fear. But Daniel was no longer afraid; this man could no longer harm anyone.
A sneer formed on the man’s lips, as whispery words left his mouth.
‘Nice work, kid; but if you think this changes anything, think again. I don’t need the White Lord for what I have planned for all of you; I got my army, and this time I won’t hold them back.’
With a swift movement, the General grabbed one of the spears placed before him and threw it hard and with incredible strength towards Daniel. The spear travelled too fast and Daniel could see it coming towards him, sure that he would not be able to avoid it. Then, at the very last moment, he felt himself rise up in the air and moving just out of the spear’s reach.
Instantly a terrifying realization came to him of what had just happened; Lightning had raised himself on his two hind legs, thus catching the spear in his chest. Daniel screamed as the strong animal slowly came down, bending his back legs to let him off and then laying onto one side, his eyes closing.
‘No, no, please don’t leave me,’ Daniel began to cry and beg, but the spear had gone straight to the stallion’s heart. He could feel his chest movements growing smaller with each breath and life abandoning him. Daniel buried his head on Lightning’s long neck, lying next to him and stroking him gently. His own chest hurt badly, his heart ached and his eyes burned so much, that he could not bear it. Hot tears rolled down his face, as he felt the stallion’s chest stop moving and the animal finally was at peace.
From all over the battlefield, wherever Lightning’s kin were, their cries of anguish and sorrow joined his, the echo reaching to the farthest corners of Endërland.
Realizing that Lightning was forever gone, anger rose up in Daniel, as he now stood up and turned to face the man responsible. He only saw the sneer on his face, before the General raised his hand towards his enemies and cried.
‘Kill them all.’
All at once the multitudes of wolfmen lining up behind him were set loose, pouring towards them like a deadly avalanche. Seeing them approach, Daniel knew that this was the end. He thought that beating Winter would work, but he had failed, and now everyone he loved would die.
They parked the car at the same spot Freddie had parked his Mini the first time around, and en
tered the clinic from the back gate. It was after midnight and this part of London was quiet. It helped that it was the middle of the week; weekend nights in London were much noisier.
The building had only one entrance and Sam was sure it would be guarded. She began checking all the windows on the ground floor, hoping one of them would be unlocked. Sure enough, the one at the far end had been left slightly open. Pushing it inwards as quietly as she could manage, she found that the window would only open enough for her to squeeze in with a bit of struggle. Being much bigger than she was, David would not be able to fit through.
‘I’m gonna have to go in through the front,’ he whispered, as Sam nodded from the other side of the glass.
‘I’ll meet you there. Be careful.’
David proceeded to walk around the building towards the front door, while she took a look at her surroundings to make sure that she wasn’t in any immediate danger. The room was dark and empty, with only a bedframe and a few other commodities you’d usually find in a private clinic room. She went to the door and opened it silently. Peeking outside, she saw two men sitting at a table down the end of the hall, playing cards. She recognized them right away as Butler’s mercenaries.
This would not be easy, she knew they had guns and she had nothing on her. They would see her coming before she even walked out of the room, and this time she would not make it. She drew back, trying to come up with a strategy, when she heard the chairs move and the two guys getting up. Peeking down the hall once again, she saw them heading towards the main entrance and guessed that David had drawn their attention. This was the distraction she was looking for. She tiptoed behind them quickly and stopped at the reception area, now looking at the two of them from behind, engaging in a dialogue with David at the front door. Before she could even decide what to do, one of them shouted at the other, reaching for his gun.
‘That’s his father.’
Sam rushed towards them, without having time to stop and think. Finding herself behind the second guy, she grabbed his gun from his waist where it was holstered, the same time as David produced his and pointed it to the other man. It wouldn’t have worked out better if they had planned it. Both men raised their hands up in the air, while David walked in and relieved the first man from his weapon. The two men then kneeled with hands tied behind their head.
‘Where is my son?’ David asked, his voice transformed by anger. The men remained quiet, looking down on the floor beneath them. Sam raised her hand and hit the one closest to her at the back of his head with his own gun. The man fell face forward on the floor, unconscious. She raised her hand a second time aiming at the second man, who answered hurriedly.
‘He’s upstairs, upstairs…’
She stopped herself for a moment and then let her hand come down hard anyway, dropping the guy on the floor next to his friend. She then ran fast up the stairs, ignoring David calling behind her. She did not want to wait another second to find Daniel; she had wasted too much time already and she would not lose him again.
She had a feeling she would find Daniel in the same room he had been the first time. She burst in, kicking the door open, and froze at the entrance. Before her, Daniel lay on the same bed, with a pillow over his head that Butler was holding down on him. Anger blinded her into a rage, and she had to actually remind herself who the man was, so she wouldn’t have to kill him.
‘Get away from him,’ she screamed and threw herself at Butler, pushing him away from Daniel. Butler ended up being knocked over against the wall, still holding the pillow in his hand. He recovered quickly, however, and boiling with anger, reached for Sam, who was checking on Daniel, completely ignoring him. He grabbed her by the throat and yelled.
‘You again; why aren’t you dead?’
Forcing her down on the floor, he kept on squeezing her neck with such strength that Sam felt powerless to fight him off. She tried in vain to force his fingers open, but he was stronger than her. The pain and agony of being strangled made her forget all about her training, and she could think of nothing she could do. Or maybe she didn’t want to fight back anymore; Daniel was lying frozen on the bed next to her and she had failed to save him. Freddie was gone. She couldn’t face the coming days knowing that it had been all for nothing and she would have to turn to a life she hated and no longer cared for. Maybe this was for the best.
Having decided not to fight it anymore, Sam let go of Butler’s fingers and prepared for the final moment. It would not be long now; she had already begun to feel numbness overtake her, as her lungs frantically searched for air.
She let her eyes close, convinced that this was it, when all of a sudden she felt the hands around her neck releasing her, and air flew back into her lungs, burning and causing her to cough violently. Tears veiled her eyes, as she opened them again to see Butler lying unconscious next to her and David lifting her off the floor and onto a chair.
‘Sam, are you ok?’ David asked, his face paralyzed with fear and worry. ‘You ran so fast from me.’
Regaining consciousness quickly, Sam nodded, rubbing her neck with both hands.
‘I’m fine,’ she managed to croak, not taking her eyes off Butler. ‘Did you kill him?’
‘No,’ David answered, ‘just knocked him out. Are you sure you’re alright?’
‘I’m fine,’ Sam repeated. ‘Check on Daniel.’
David did not have to be asked twice. He turned around and in two small steps was beside his son, checking for a pulse. His hands were trembling and his heart was beating fast; all he wanted to do in that moment was take his son into his arms and look into his eyes once again. But Daniel’s eyes would not open. Anguished and exhausted, David sat on the bed beside him, lifting Daniel towards him and holding him in his embrace, tears rolling down his face, much like the day his mother had died.
Sam almost stopped breathing for the second time that night.
‘Is he…?’ she asked, afraid to finish the sentence.
David did not turn to face her.
‘He still has a heartbeat; it’s very week and he’s barely breathing, but he’s still alive.’
Sam plunged deeper into her chair, feeling her emotions overtake her. She had done it; Daniel was safe. Silent tears refused to be held back as she finally allowed herself to rest.
She was about to close her eyes and enjoy some well-earned peace, even if only for a little while, when out of the corner of her eye, she saw Butler’s figure move on the floor. Winter’s number one man got up with his back towards her, while his right hand reached inside his jacket. Producing his gun, he aimed it at both father and son. This time though, he did not manage to pull the trigger; another gun went off before his did, forcing him to drop to his knees once again, and then back on the floor, dead.
Unable to believe her own eyes, Sam looked down to see the gun in her hand still smoking. She had not even seen herself draw it. Realizing what she had just done, she let it fall on the floor and covered her face with her hands.
‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry; I did not mean to do this. Oh no, what have I done?’
David was instantly by her side.
‘Sam, you had no choice; he was going to kill us. You saved our lives.’
Unable to look at him in the eyes, Sam kept covering her face and crying in desperation. How could she tell him that she had just killed his other son? And what would happen when Daniel woke up and found out? Would he not hate her forever?
David did not know how to comfort her, so he went to the body of the young man lying on the floor. He turned him around face up; trying to understand why Sam was so upset, but found no answer there. The black curly hair, the young looking face, the beard, all seemed somewhat familiar to him, but he was sure he did not know this man. He went back to Sam, determined to get her out of her state.
‘Sam, I need you to help me with Daniel; we need to take him to a hospital right away, or he will die.’
Hearing Daniel’s name again, Sam wiped the tears from her face and go
t up, avoiding eye contact with David.
‘Should we call an ambulance?’
‘No, it will be faster if we drive him there ourselves. Can you help me carry him down to the car?’
‘Of course,’ Sam nodded.
Together they carried Daniel to David’s car and drove fast through the night towards the nearest hospital.
The wolfmen kept on coming towards them, wild as the waves of a raging sea and numerous as the drops of water in the ocean. Furious that Lightning was taken away from him, Daniel turned to face them, sword in hand. All around him, everyone else braced themselves for yet another battle, and this time he knew it would be to the death. This time though, he intended to do something about it; no more people would die today if he could help it. He looked at the faces of the ones he loved, and everyone else that had left their home and followed him there; they had been through enough. It was time for the Great Lord to take it from here. But what could he do? How could he defeat a wild and endless army of wolfmen with less than two thousand people left?
It was then that he looked up to the sky and remembered all the talks he’d had with Heli and Hëna; and just like that, he knew what to do. Raising his sword towards the heavens and looking up at the stars, he called out with the strength of a thousand voices, just as the first sounds of clashing weapons echoed through the air.
‘Brothers and sisters, we need you. Come down to join us and let this war end today.’
His voice caused everyone to stop, including the wolfmen who forgot what they were commanded to do, and stared at him, half scared and confused. The people did not understand what he was trying to do, and some even began to wonder if he had lost his mind, but Hëna knew and smiled in relief.
Nothing seemed to be happening at first, but soon more and more people began to look up at the sky and point. It began sporadically; stars would first shimmer where they were, as if waking up from a deep slumber, and then they would appear to move, slowly at first. Only it was not sideways towards each other, but downwards, falling towards the earth. One by one, all the stars of the heaven began dropping down, until the whole sky above them was lit up with a golden rain of burning fire. All stared with their heads up and their mouths open in awe of this breath-taking scene, that even the most elaborate fireworks show could not match.
As the heavenly bodies got closer and closer to the ground, people began to see their true form and cheered. In a matter of minutes after Daniel’s call, the air above them was filled with hovering warriors, all clad in shining armor to the bone, their wings of fire making them look like an army of angels from heaven. They were everywhere, thousands and thousands of them, way too many to count, and all ready to fight.
Daniel’s eyes were focused on one of them in particular. From the moment the stars began reacting to his call, his attention was drawn to the one above Arba, the star of the Great Lord. It was the first to come down from its place in the sky and was now floating in the air towards him. Daniel recognized the shape, the face, the hair of the man, and as the two of them were within arm’s reach of each other, he could not help but smile and well up at the same time.
‘It’s so good to see you again, my friend,’ he said, feeling a joy such as he had not felt ever since he’d found his mother and brother again.
With the usual cheerful look on his face, Heli smiled back at him and bowed his head.
‘We’ve come to pledge our allegiance, my lord; the army of heaven is at your command.’
He looked exactly as Daniel remembered seeing him when he defeated the ice dragon, except for the armor he was now wearing.
‘Good,’ Daniel said, feeling happier than he could even express. ‘Now, let’s finish this.’
‘Yes, my lord,’ Heli replied with a grin, and rose up in the air again, his wings of fire obeying his will. At the last moment, he spotted his sister among the crowd, who smiled at him through teary eyes. He winked at her and then turned towards Arba, followed by the rest of his friends.
Tens of thousands of flying warriors now set their sight on the hideous creatures bread by the General. Fiery arrows rained from the sky, filling the air with screeches of pain and torment, while the earth gorged on more of their blood and lifeless corpses. The wolfmen and remaining black ravens seemed to have lost their purpose, and upon feeling the danger of being overrun, began retreating inside the city, abandoning the battle. But there was no hiding from the army of the sky; wherever they went, fire rained upon them and consumed them all one by one.
Bolstered by the new reinforcements, the remaining men and wingmen of Endërland resumed the battle, now with renewed hope and strength.
Seeing the he had lost the war, the General grabbed the reins of the chariot and led the duo of horses back towards the white gates. He did not manage to get far however, a gold-finished spear flying in his direction found itself landing on his back and struck him between his ribs. The once Lord of Winter fell out of his chariot, facedown, breathing his last.
Watching from a distance, Diane breathed deeply and allowed the rest of her armor to fall to the ground. Daniel’s eyes met hers and he smiled with great pride.
As life abandoned the body he inhabited, the General was forced to leave it and flee somewhere he could find safety. But as soon as he was exposed to the light still emanating from the Golden Throne, he began to disintegrate just like the rest of the shadows before him. His last screams joined those of the remaining wolfmen, as once again they began to go through transformation, returning to their original form, no longer bound by his magic. Soon, thousands of wolves were seen running away from the battlefield, towards the Northern Mountains and the place they once called home.
All around the city of the Lords, in and out of the ice wall that was now melting down, men, wingmen and mermaids began cheering and shouting from joy, praising the army of the sky and the Great Lord. Winter was defeated, his army of creatures eliminated, and Arba along with the rest of Endërland was once again free.
The battle was over.
A New World