After The Fall Chapter 14

2 Spires

“Look!” Eriana yelled pointing at the darkening sky.

“A meteor,” Erika said.

“I think not,” Pupil answered. “Changes are coming. Much will happen over the next few days. All because of you two.”

“Us? We are just two kids. Not much we can do.” said Eriana.

“I’m not a kid anymore,” Erika said.

“Stop, stop, stop. Argue waste of time.” Pupil said as wood marched past him and piled up in the ring of stones that had set itself up when the girls landed. Bambi was busy chasing the sticks and trying to catch them. “You two are more powerful then you know. Eat you must. Tomorrow will be a true test, back to the first Spire we go.” The sticks burst into flames as he finished the sentence.

Soon they were all sitting around the fire with full bellies. Growing tired, the girls started to feel a little homesick. Thinking of the times they went camping as kids. Dad making s’mores and mom making fun of dad.

“I miss them,” Erika said out of nowhere.

“Yeah, me too,” Eriana replied with a sullen face.

“It’s just been so hard, I wish none of this happened.” Erika had a tear running down her cheek.

“Come, come. Sleep now. Tomorrow big day.”

After a long, restless night, the sun crept over the edge of the earth. Pupil and Bambi were already up, putting out the fire and packing up their gear.

“Girls, time to get up.” Pupil said. They didn’t move. “Girrrrls.” He said again, shaking them one at a time.

“I’m up dad, I’m up,” Eriana said, half asleep. She rubbed her eyes and looked around, realizing it was only a dream. “Sorry Pupil.”

He acted like he didn’t hear, but a small smirk was on his face. “Erika, you sleep too long, time to go it is.”

“Five more minutes... I won’t be late.”

Pupil looked at her, with amusement.

“Bambi, get her.”

Bambi ran over and began licking her face.

“OK, alright, I’m up, I’m up,”

They all saddled up and were ready to move when shadows, lean and long spread across their path. A Saurian fleet was blocking the sun, and the three were out in the open.

“Go! Go!” Pupil yelled as Bambi hopped into her basket.

The girls flew off, heading for the tree line. Pupil, Bambi, and the tiger took off in the opposite direction. The bulk of the fleet followed him, a carrier followed the girls.

The carrier spilled out hundreds of fighters and bombers before it lifted up to avoid the tree line. It retreated back into the upper atmosphere. As the tree line grew nearer, the trees began to move. The trees themselves were rushing towards the girls to give them cover. Once in the shade of the forest, they landed and prepared for the enemy craft. The first few fighters to reach the trees were swatted from the sky, the rest pulled up and began blasting the trees to splinters. Boulders began to fly up and smack the fighters out of the sky.

“We are running out of ammo!” Erika yelled.

“Thanks for that woman, did you figure that out all by yourself?” Eriana responded as she was starting to create a dust storm.

Erika looked at her, puzzled.

“For cover. Duh!” Eriana said.

As they took off, the storm followed. Behind them was a burning inferno as the ships finished off the forest. Soon, laser and bomb blasts were all around them. They were running out of time, nothing but the blowing dust for cover as they were in acres of abandoned farmland.

The ground shook, knocking the girls off of their rides. They lept up and got back on.

“That was close.”

“It’s going to get closer, they must have got him,” Eriana said as she pointed at the rest of the fleet returning.

There was no time to think of what happened to Pupil. They were in trouble and knew it. They darted away from the incoming fleet and headed towards the river. The enemy was gaining on them, blasts from the larger canons blew chunks of earth into the air all around them. After they crested a small hill they could see the fighters hovering above the ground in front of them. They opened fire and the girls were trapped. They had managed to form a shield at the last second, but there was nowhere for them to go.

The girls looked at each other, tears running down their eyes.

“I love you.”

“I love you too sis.”

Behind the fighters, the sky first turned purple, then faded to gold. The gold intensified until a point came out of the center. It grew larger until all of it was out. A giant inverted pyramid hovered in the sky, right above the river. Thick beams of blue light shot out from all over it. Blasting ships out of the sky.

“Hello,” said Pupil, calmly.

“Pupil!” the girls screamed together,

“Thank you,” Erika said

“You think of that ship?” Eriana asked.

“That not me, that Annunaki. They win the battle at home, now come back here.”

The Saurian fleet regrouped and began attacking the ship.

“Come, we must get to the Spire. Help them we must.”

They cleared the river and saw the broken Spire before them. Pieces of debris started swirling around it as they approached. When they landed it looked like new, but there was more to do.

“Come girls, finish raising we must. Nephilim inside.”

“Pupil, wait. I have to know something.”

“Hurry with question girl, we need to help them.”

“When we raised the one in Cahokia there were horns blown, but not in Vandalia...”

“Girl wants to know why.” Pupil cut Erika off. “The first one was horseman, the second was not.”

“OK, so is this one going to...”

“Girl, shush, we will soon see.”

The ground shook as the Spire rose fully from the ground. When the ground stopped shaking, the tower turned from silver to red. As the heavenly trumpets sounded, the great doors opened, and out stepped a Nephilim.

“Thank you for freeing me...”

“Sorry to cut you off, but we need help.”

“How can Virtus assist you?”

“Virtus?” Erika whispered.

“Ares.” Pupil whispered back.

“I see,” the Nephilim said as he headed towards the battle. He paused, looked back, and said. “Raise the lesser Spire in the woods. Someone there needs you.”

Bambi led them back to the hulk of a burned-out Spire. They raised it and the doors open. No one came out, so they went in.

Laying, chained to a slab of rock was a blonde woman, she had been badly tortured and left for dead.

The girls walked tentatively up to her.

“Mom?” Eriana’s voice quivered.