The Realm Protectors - Chapter 38: Chapter 38

Everyone screams as glass rains down on us like a demented meteor shower. Space dust blows past us, tangling my hair and making it hard to see.
"Run!" Enya screams from somewhere. We all start to run towards the hill in the distance, jumping over broken pieces of the buildings around us. Someone groans as they hit the ground behind me.
"Carter!" I call out. "Are you all right?"
He groans in reply. I turn away from my friends to help him up. His face is pale and covered in sweat, small cuts from the glass cover his skin. His eyes flutter closed.
"Carter, stay awake," I order him. "We need to get out of here!"
He opens his eyes, nodding. "I know," He pushes himself up to a sitting position, holding out his hand. I help him get to his feet when the gateway erupts with a loud boom behind us. Wind kicks up around us, roaring and tearing at clothes and hair.
More screaming erupts from my friends and I as we're sucked towards the gateway. I cry out as my hands and legs scrape against the ground, tearing off layers of skin. Tucker scrambles against the pavement, looking for anything to grab onto. Avani roars, pulling rock after rock from the ground with her ability. Each one breaks off, and we get dangerously close to the gateway. The wind is so loud I can barely hear myself think. Avani finally manages to rip a chunk of concrete from the ground that seems strong enough to hold our weight. Tucker grabs onto it and Avani grabs his ankles.
"Grab on!" She yells. Everyone reaches for her, attempting to hang on. Nikolina latches onto Avani's ankles, and Ciana and Faris each manage to catch one of hers. Nile and Enya grab hold of their ankles. Carter grabs my hand before grabbing one of Nile's ankles. He swings me over and I grab Enya's ankles. Tucker roars with each added weight.
"Man, you kids are heavy!" Tucker yells from where he's anchoring us to the rock.
"Not the time!" Enya yells back. Pieces of buildings fly past us, getting sucked into the black hole of the gateway. We are so close that I can see the core shimmering deep inside.
"Is there any way to stop this thing?" Nile asks over the roar of the wind.
"I may be able to attempt to stitch the gateway closed," I call back. "But I need my hands free!"
"How are you supposed to have your hands free if you're busy hanging on for dear life?" Tucker asks.
Enya grunts. "Climb up my legs if you can, I'll wrap my legs around your waist and try to hold on to you."
"Is that even possible?" Carter asks, looking at me with fear.
"We have to try!" Ciana yells from up the line. "And quickly please, I feel like my ankles are going to be pulled from their sockets!"
I reach up Enya's slim calves, pulling myself up higher until my hips are right between her thighs.
"I promise I'm not trying to do this in a weird way," Enya says to me before wrapping her legs around my thighs, creating a harness around me. Carter watches in fear as I let go of Enya, putting my life in her hands. Or rather, I suppose, her legs.
"Quickly now," Enya grunts. "I haven't had a leg day in the gym for a while."
I raise my hands, turning my attention to the gateway. The seam of it glows a bright, angry purple, cuts of darkness lining it. I bite my lip as I focus, drawing my ability into a line. I move my hands back and forth, as if I was stitching up a piece of fabric, slowly closing the hole from top to bottom. The wind begins to die down around us, chunks of buildings not moving as fast. The world becomes quieter as I finish the last stitch. The wind cuts off, and my friends and I all sag against the ground.
"You did it!" Enya laughs, untangling her legs from around me.
"We survived!" Avani whoops."
Carter looks at me, a strange emotion I've never seen in his eyes. "That was awesome, Lyra."
I smile, feeling a blush rise to my face. Something twinges in my chest, hinting at something wrong with the gateway. My heart pounds as I scream,
"Get down!"
My friends all duck as the gateway explodes, sending shards of glass and chunks of concrete everywhere. Faris roars, throwing his hands up and creating a shield around us, protecting us from the worst of the onslaught. When the world stops spinning around us, he drops his hands. We all sit up and stare at the shattered remains of the Glassway. No glass remained, only shattered in bits and pieces on the ground. Chunks of buildings were missing from every era. The blue sky seemed to harsh a background against the different time periods, each one seeing the unblemished light of day for the first time in forever.
"This will take forever to fix," Carter groans. He drops his head in his hands, and I put my hand on his back, rubbing soothing circles.
Tucker looks around at all of us, cuts seeping blood and dust covering every inch of him. He inspects all of us, checking for any serious injuries.
"I really should've stayed in Dunia." He huffs.
Enya sighs. "At least there were no civilian casualties this time."
"Thanks to Ciana and Carter," Faris nods to them. "If not for them, all these people never would've known what was happening. We could've been sitting in a pile of corpses right now."
"That's gross," Enya rolls her eyes. "But true."
"Lyra's the real hero," Carter says, turning to look at me. "She closed the gateway before we all got sucked in."
"You are the one who managed to slow down time around the gateway for almost an hour," I tell him. "If any one of us should be known as the true hero, it should be you, Carter."
"Yeah dude, the only reason the gateway exploded when it did instead of earlier is because you held it back." Nile says. "That is beast-level power right there, bro." He does some kind of intricate handshake with Carter, who smirks in response.
"I guess so," He laughs lightly. My chest warms to see him smiling.
"Let's get back to the hotel," Enya says. "We need to talk to Senator Sagira and figure out temporary lodging for all the Glassway residents."
"Settle down, settle down please." Enya says into the microphone. Reporters with microphones and cameras flood the room in front of us, preparing for our press conference to begin. Enya wanted one right away, to take care of the news before it got out of control. We got back to the hotel, changed out of our dirtied clothes, and went down to the Bëdtijd hall. Eight chairs were set up for us, with a podium in front of them. My friends and I sit behind Enya while she begins talking to the reporters.
"As soon as you all settle down, I'll begin." Enya says firmly. The murmur in the room quiets as reporters settle down and take their seats. They all stare up at Enya, waiting to hear what happened to their precious Gateway.
"As you all know, the Tijd Gateway was attacked this afternoon." Enya begins. Reporters point microphones and shining camera lenses at her. I do not know how she does not panic at the sight of them. "The other Arches and I did everything in our power to get everyone in the Glassway to safety, as well as do our best to protect the Glassway from further damage.
"We still believe that these attacks are coordinated and carried out by Griffin Gray. Again, fliers will be handed out with his image and details. Any information about the whereabouts of Gray are welcome. If you see something, please contact your local police department." Enya looks around at each of the cameras, as if she was looking straight into the soul of every Tijdan. "It deeply saddens me that another of our Realm's wonders has collapsed with the destruction of another gateway. That being said, Arch Cummins has already started coordinating with Senator Sagira and multiple construction companies about beginning reconstruction efforts." A crowd of people in the back of the room cheer at that.
Enya starts talking again, but I look at all those people in the back. They are all dressed in clothing from different time periods. I realize that they're the refugees from the Glassway, now without a home. A home so beautiful, and it was destroyed by dark space magic.
The Glassway was a gorgeous place. Memories run through my head of all the amazing things I did with Carter just this week. He took me for milkshakes and stargazing. He took me dancing almost every night, always making sure to end the night in my favorite dance hall: the one with the slower music. We talked about our lives and our fears. He held me while I cried over my failure in Fajro. When we went dancing, he held me so gently, as if he feared I would dissolve into smoke and drift away.
My eyes drift to Carter, seated next to me. His hand is dangling slightly over the side of his arm rest. His hands are surprisingly warm and soft. He held my hands so gently while we danced. It was an incredible rush to be treated with such attentiveness and care, even in the more brazen dance halls.
The chandelier above us tinkles in a breeze, teardrop blue crystals hanging from bronze swoops. I wonder what kind of crystals they are. They look too light to be sapphires, but that could also just be a trick of the light. Perhaps they're tanzanite, though that also seems unlikely–
I blink when someone clears their throat. Enya is staring at me, turned away from the cameras.
"Pardon me," I feel a blush creep across my cheeks. "Can you repeat that?"
Enya nods, turning to a reporter who is standing. He puts the mic back to his mouth.
"Arch Centauri, how do you respond to the rising discrimination and hateful comments being made towards darkness and space elementals?"
"Hate comments?" I ask. The reporter nods. I look to Enya, who motions for me to step up to the podium. I rise from my chair and stand behind it, placing my hands on the blue wood.
"In light of Griffin Gray's warrant, people have begun to discriminate against darkness and space elementals, not allowing them to come into some establishments without an escort. What do you say to that?" The reporter elaborates.
I am shocked into silence for a few seconds before words come to mind. "We High Arches have been traveling the Realm so quickly that we have not been in one place long enough to start hearing rumors like this. However, I urge everyone to remember who is truly at fault for these attacks.
"Griffin Gray is a space and darkness elemental, yes. But that does not mean that all space and darkness elementals are trying to destroy the Realm." I continue. More cameras are pointed at me as I speak. "There is no reason that elementals with the same abilities as Gray should be punished for his bad decisions, simply because they were born with the same element. The most important thing right now is staying united against this common enemy, so we can take him down and save our home." Cheers erupt from the Glassway refugees in the back of the room. It brings a smile to my face. "Stay alert, my fellow people of the Realm. If you see Gray, make sure you notify your local police departments."
I step away from the podium and the reporters start shouting out questions again. Enya steps up to fill my spot as I sit back down. Enya starts talking to the reporters again as Carter gently grabs my hand, rubbing soothing circles over the back of it. His eyes meet mine as I turn to face him, something sweet in the chocolate irises.
Our eyes would look good together, I think to myself. Amethyst and Tiger's Eye. Perhaps I'll start setting them next to each other. Calm and strength.
Carter smiles and his eyes sparkle.
Enya ends the press conference, sending away all the reporters. Tucker helps herd them out, possibly even frightening some. As soon as the doors are shut, Enya slumps against the podium with a sigh.
"We need to find Gray," She says, rubbing her temples like she has a headache.
"Before he destroys all the gateways." Nile huffs.
"He seems like he's following us." Ciana rubs a finger back and forth across her lips in thought. "What's the meaning of that?"
"Maybe he's trying to turn the Realm against you guys." Tucker suggests from his spot by the doors.
Enya sighs again. "Right now, it seems to be working."