The Realm Protectors - Chapter 13: Chapter 13

"Where'd Professor Grantwood go?" Ciana asks. Nikolina is staring dumbfounded at the empty stage. The crowd is getting louder and louder as more people wonder what happened to the High Arch.
"I have an unpleasant feeling about this," Lyra says softly, holding her crystal necklace in her hand tightly.
"E-everyone remain calm," The announcer's voice comes over the speaker system. Judging by the way it stuttered, I'm going to assume that they're not exactly calm either. "Headmasters, please escort your students back to the facility you were in earlier. Teleporters will be around shortly."
Students get up from their seats around the auditorium and begin making their way to the exits. All of the Asavanra kids stay in their seats, trying to figure out what to do. Assistant Principal Redmond, a tall skinny air elemental who seems to glide rather than walk, says from the stage, "Asavanra students, please make your way to your campuses. If you find any stray students from the other delegations, please help them back to their Facility. Can I have the eight students who were in charge of the presentation come down here? Thank you."
We all look at each other and begin making our way down the stairs. We go slowly, having to wind around all of the students who are attempting to make their way out.
"What do you think this is about?" Ciana mutters behind me. I hear Faris respond,
"No idea."
We finally make it down onto the stage and Assistant Principal Redmond ushers us backstage and out the stage door.
"Where are we going, Mr. Redmond?" Nile asks.
"We're meeting the other presentation groups in the teachers office lobby." He says quickly and quietly. He glides ahead of us, forcing the three first sects to start to job to keep up. We enter the teachers office building and he starts pacing back and forth. We take a seat on two of the couches and wait for everyone else to arrive.
Various teachers, the heads of schools, and student groups from each delegation all arrive within the next few minutes. Everyone looks panicky and rushed, like they all ran here.
"What are we going to do?"
"We have to organize a search!"
"Everyone quiet!" Enya hollers. Students and teachers alike go silent. Ciana's eyes are wide as she stares at the fiery girl.
"Miss Fuego–" A teacher starts to interject.
"Everyone listen," She says, holding out her hands. "If Mr. Redmond called us all here, I'm sure he has a plan."
"Thank you, Miss Fuego." Assistant Principal Redmond nods at her. He clears his throat and says, "We're going to organize a search. The teachers will stay at Asavanra and search everywhere, while the student groups search Academy Avenue."
Protests rise from teachers and Redmond waves his hands.
"I am Assistant Principal! My decision is final!" The teachers all go quiet. "Having the teachers nearby will calm the other students. Teachers and school masters, break into groups of two or three and get to searching." The teachers group up and walk out, leaving us with the other student groups.
"Miss Fuego, I'm entrusting you to lead this operation." Mr. Redmond sighs. "Escort the groups to Academy Avenue and then split up. You eight take the area closest to Arch Hall."
"On it." Enya nods. "Everyone! Follow me!" She says the phrase in Common, the language of Capital, before repeating it in Fajran and Vesian. Lyra waves at the Stelluna delegation, telling them to follow her in Steullune. Nik calls out to the Mork delegation in the harsh tongue of Morkian. Ciana and Avani kind-of stare after them.
"Why don't they speak English?" Ciana asks me as we hurry after the groups.
"They do. Here it's called Common. But each country also has their own tongue, just like in the Otherworld." I explain.
"Well obviously, but why haven't we heard them speak those languages yet?" Avani asks.
"Because they always try to speak Common in Capital." I shrug.
We pass through the gates of Asavanra and out into the first ring of Academy Avenue.
"Alright everyone, listen up." Enya calls out. "This is Academy Avenue. It spreads out in rings from here. Each delegation take a ring. The Asavanra delegation will take the outermost ring. Let's go, let's go!"
"If you find anything, report back here!' Ciana calls after them. Enya nods to us and we start running towards Arch Hall and the outermost ring.
"Why did Redmond say we had to check Arch Hall?" Avani asks Nile. They're the fastest, Enya following close behind them and us behind her.
"Probably because he figured something's wrong." I reply.
Despite the fact that we have to run through seven rings to get to the outermost ring, all of which are crowded from the Saturday lunch rush, we make it there relatively quickly. The eighth ring is completely deserted.
"Let's search the ring first, then we can go up to Arch Hall–" Enya starts.
"Wait," Nikolina holds up her hand, face pale with shock. She turns to Arch Hall with panic across her face. "Something's wrong."
"What, what is it?" Ciana bites her fingernails.
"There's a lot of darkness emanating from there." Nikolina purses her lips. "A lot more than what should be normal."
"Let's go, we'll search the ring last then." Enya grabs Ciana and Nile's hands and takes off for the stairway that leads up the hill. We all follow close behind. My stomach drops when we see the gate wide open, looking like someone blasted through it.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Ciana mutters. We go up the stairs, leveling out into the courtyard. Everything seems normal. The plants are growing fine and the fountain is flowing. The doors to Arch Hall, however, are wide open and pitch black. Enya goes first, creeping into the entryway of Arch Hall and stopping when she finds a line of bodies on the floor, a giant pool of blood underneath them. It's all of the guards, their faces frozen in shock.
"Oh my god," Avani breathes.
"Lyra, tunnel back to campus and get the teachers." Enya's voice is cold and commanding, very unlike her normal self.
Lyra nods and makes a chopping motion in the air, creating a gateway and stepping through it. It zips shut behind her, leaving the rest of us here with the dead bodies. Ciana steps around the pool of blood and peers into the next room.
"No," she gasps. Enya springs up and power-walks over to where Ciana is starting to break down in tears. Enya clutches her chest and turns Ciana away. We all walk over there to find out what's going on.
They're dead.
DeleteCreated with Sketch.
As a third sect and a time elemental, I spend a lot of time in history class and learning about the history of the Realm. When the original Realm Protectors became the rulers of the Realm, they decided that it was going to be more like a democracy than an oligarchy. They would allow the countries to vote on certain things, and they appointed an Arch Council to help them with difficult decisions and ties.
However, the Arch Council and the people decided that were heroes and deserved to be treated with a certain amount of respect. So, some of the most skilled elementals gathered together and created the Arch Bands, crown-like bands that go on the eight High Arches heads. They're bestowed to the High Arches at their Coronauguration – combination of coronation and inauguration – and they're supposed to wear them everywhere after that. Each band is made from a different material to symbolize their element and is engraved with an image of their Arch position.
Another feature they added was the Atrium inside Arch Hall, where each High Arch has a throne of sorts on a raised platform. These are called Seats to limit any connection with a throne, and thus, a monarchy. Any High Arch broadcasts are filmed in the atrium, with the High Arches in their seats. They have to be at least semi-comfortable, since the High Arches spend so much time there.
And now their bodies sit there.
They're propped up like dolls, faces stuck in the horrified expressions they wore when they died. Blood drips from gaping holes where their hearts should be, surrounded by black skin. Veins of black spread to their limbs, showing that they were killed by darkness poisoning.
Murdered.
"They're all... all... dead," Ciana breathes.
"How could this have happened?" Avani asks.
"They're supposed to be the most powerful of their generation!"
"Guys, calm down." Enya says softly. The two girls go quiet. Nikolina looks like she wants to melt into the floor and disappear. "The teachers will be here any minute. We have to be prepared to show them this."
"Who could've done this?" Nikolina asks.
"We need to search for clues." Nile says.
A zipping sound behind us alerts us to Lyra's presence. We turn around and watch the teachers walk into the Atrium with Lyra. Gasps and cries of horror circle around the room as people see what happened to the eight High Arches. Professor Grantwood's face is defiant, but there's fear in her lifeless eyes. Her golden skin looks patchy from blood loss, and the darkness poisoning has caused her neck to look as black as Right Arch Grimaldi's hair.
"This is awful," One of the teachers moans.
"Go outside and gather the student groups. Soon enough people will notice what's happened and news crews will be here soon." Mr. Redmond's voice is soft and cold at the same time. "Go manage the crowds. I'll call the authorities."
Teachers make their way outside and back down the stairs while we stand in the Atrium, the tang of iron in the air. Lyra is still frozen in place where she entered the gateway, staring at the Arches.
"Quonoto hok fiyre potüit?" She mumbles in Stellune.
"We're going to find out what happened." I promise her. She looks at me, and I freeze at just how beautiful she is.
"Who could've done this?" She asks.
"That's exactly what we're going to figure out." A man says as he struts into the Atrium. He's dressed in the gray uniform of the Capital police department. "My name is Officer Alexxi. I'm the chief of police for Center City."
"It's fantastic that you're here so quickly." Mr. Redmond glides over. "I've sent the teachers out to do crowd control but they may need some help."
"I left most of my squad with them." Officer Alexxi nods. "I'll be up here with you and the intelligence team while they investigate." Another squad of cops in gray uniforms rush in with bags, plastic gloves, cameras, and masks on. He looks around at us teenagers as if we're not supposed to be here. "You kids can go along on your way."
"Actually, sir," Nile stands up to him. "We're going to stay here while you investigate. After all, Arch Grantwood would've wanted it."
"Young man, you and your friends have no place here–"
"Actually sir, they do." One of the police members speaks up. She's crouched over by Professor Grantwood's Seat, something in her hand. "You should see this, Chief."
Officer Alexxi walks over to her and watches as she presses a button on the little machine she's holding and they watch something. I can hear a small voice talking.
"What are they–," Ciana starts.
"Come watch this," Officer Alexxi says to us. We walk over and see the small camera in the officer's hand. She presses the button and Professor Grantwood comes into view.
"I'm not sure who's doing this, but the High Arches are under attack," She says. Grantwood looks around, terror in her eyes. "We can't fight them – they're too strong. They've already defeated the other seven – I can't fight them on my own." Grantwood sucks in a gasp as she ducks behind a column. "As the last High Arch left alive, I hereby pass on duty to the next generation of High Arches: Enya Fuego, Nile Aquino, Carter Cummins, Lyra Centauri, Faris Stellato, Avani Gipson, Nikolina Voronkova, and Ciana Leonide. I have reason to believe that they are Realm Protectors – all of them. The first full team in generations." Grantwood cries out and she falls. The camera cracks as it hits the floor Professor Grantwood's voice can be heard again, rushed and cutting in and out. The video ends when a pair of black boots comes into view.
We all stare silently at this video that just cemented our future. There's no going back now.
"Those names," Officer Alexxi interrupts the silence. "That's you kids?"
Enya nods.