Chapter 10

For the next two years, Keiondra attended her training. She learned from many different rangers and felt herself becoming stronger every day. Her parents had loved Howl and were proud that she’d chosen such a “fitting” companion.

But Keiondra was worried. Lately she’d been helping some new friends (namely Devona and the prince) with things, and they’d seen Charr south of the Great Wall. She hoped there was nothing to worry about, but every time she closed her eyes at night, she was reminded of a dream she’d recently had.

In the dream, Ascalon was no longer beautiful. Instead, it was scorched and ruined, as if something terrible had happened to it. And she always saw something resembling a Charr in the background. But she hoped that this was nothing to be concerned about.

Besides, she had enough on her mind as it was. She was now 15, and her mother was always telling her that she was rapidly becoming old enough to be “courting”. She even went so far as to say that Prince Rurik would be a great suitor.

Keiondra tried to brush this off. She wasn’t ready for a relationship. She wanted to focus on her training. She’d managed to tell her father of this and, being the level-headed man he was, he’d talked to Connivia and she’d finally settled down. But she hadn’t stopped altogether.

Still, Keiondra had become accustomed to it. She had stated that she was not ready for a relationship and wouldn’t be until after she’d finished her training. Only then would she consider becoming romantically involved and leaving home.

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Roston gazed down at the battlefield below him. The Ascalon and Charr armies were at a constant war with each other and had been for as long as he could remember.

Adelbern approached his side and gazed down at the same sight. “Horrid creatures, those Charr,” he said. “I hope they never reach our beloved Ascalon City.”

Roston turned to the prince and replied, “I hope the same. The guild wars are bad enough.”

“What do you mean by that? You were a member of Ascalon’s Chosen, remember?”

“I know, my king. It seems so long ago, too. But I was only saying that I fear if the guild wars drag on, the Charr could use this to their advantage.”

“Nonsense. The Charr could never overcome us. We are stronger than they are.”

“I suppose you’re right.”

Both warriors watched below as several Charr fell to the ground at the mercy of Ascalon soldiers.

“See that?” Adelbern said. “Nothing to worry about. They don’t stand a chance.”

“But what of the Charr we’ve seen south of the Great Wall as of late?”

“Only a few. We will always be superior to the Charr, Roston.”

“You’re right. We will always be superior to the Charr.”

Roston walked away with those words in his mind. “We will always be superior to the Charr.” Was that really true? Roston felt a deep weight on his heart. As if he knew something was wrong, something terrible. But what could he do about it?

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Sun beamed in through Keiondra’s window. She sat up abruptly and felt her heart pound with excitement. Today was the day. Today, she would graduate from Ascalon Academy. The past two years of training would finally pay off today.

There were even rumors of today’s graduates being allowed to accompany Prince Rurik and drive a Charr leader out of Ascalon. Keiondra hoped that the Charr wouldn’t actually be in Ascalon, but if it was, she was determined to help bring it down.

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“There’s the cause of all this trouble!” Prince Rurik said as he pointed ahead of him. He and the students graduating from Ascalon Academy had just killed several grawl, and they now saw Charr ahead of them.

Vaatlaw Doomtooth grunted at the humans before raising his bow. He and his furry followers engaged in attacks. But they were no match for the prince and students.

With one final thrust, Rurik’s sword dropped Vaatlaw to the ground. He and the students cheered. Keiondra was very proud of herself. She finally graduated from Ascalon Academy. She and her fellow students walked back to Ascalon City with Prince Rurik.

Once there, families cheered and embraced each other as a celebration struck out. Keiondra spotted her parents waving to her in the crowed and ran over to them.

“Congratulations, Keiondra!” her mother said. “We’re so proud of you!”
“Indeed we are!” her father agreed.

Keiondra beamed and she couldn’t stop smiling. Then, her mother presented her with something.

“On your thirteenth birthday, you received our permission to study to become a ranger,” she said. “Your father presented the papers to you. But today, you have graduated from the Ascalon Academy. And so it’s my time to present you with a gift that will hold great meaning for you. Keiondra, my dear, your father and I proudly present you with this longbow.”

Keiondra gasped and took the bow. It was carved out of beautiful wood from the Lakeside trees and even had a few leaves still on it. It was truly a beautiful bow, and she would treasure it forever. She would use this bow, and only this bow, for when she fought.

Suddenly, in the midst of the happy celebration, the sky suddenly fell dark. Then, the ground seemed to shake and a rumbling sound could be heard in the distance. Everyone looked up and they saw the sky fall.

Giant meteors crashed into Ascalon City, nearby homes and buildings were set aflame, and citizens ran, screaming for their lives.

“Fall back!” Prince Rurik called. “Run and save yourselves!”

No one hesitated to comply with what the prince said. They grabbed their loved ones and took off running. Keiondra ran with her parents and Howl. They knew not where they were going, but they only cared about being safe and staying alive.

There seemed to be no end to the bombs. The sky seemed to keep falling and not let up. But alas, after what seemed like centuries, the bombs stopped. But the damage was not yet gone. Fires roared through country sides and several people were burnt to a crisp instantly.

The survivors jumped up rapidly and ran to the river to get water to put the fires out. The work was great, but finally the fires were put out. Only then did everyone look around and see what had transpired.

The grass was no longer green, but brown, black, or gone completely. The trees had lost their leaves and were nothing more than black sticks stretching toward the yellow and orange sky. And the water was beginning to turn black with tar.

But the worst happened when the citizens saw that the Great Wall was lying in wreckage. And then, to everyone’s horror, several Charr burst through the gate of Ascalon City.

Everyone’s worst nightmare had come true. Ascalon had fallen to the Charr.

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