Hortensia de los Santos

POWERS OF THE GODS

© 10/14/2016

Darkness closed around them. They heard moans from those Apollo said were the shadows of the damned dead. Oberon walked around the circle of his friends, and the shadows approaching were sucked in by the mighty black stone. Atri covered Ananda’s eyes and the child started to play the lyre. While he played, the queen snake settled around Victoria’s waist, and Victoria tied a cloth around the snake’s head with the stones that saw the past. The queen ripped another piece of her skirt and went to Atri, covering Ananda’s eyes with it like a blindfold.

“Let us go.” Said Gilgamesh.

They went forth.They walked among the shadows, but none threatened them now, for the songs from the lyre kept them entranced. They continued walking until they reached a deep chasm. They couldn’t cross it, so they climbed down, holding to protruding pieces of ice and rock, until they reached the bottom. As soon as they started climbing to the next strip, arrows and stones thrown by the warriors above checked their advance.

Oberon took his mantle from his shoulders and with a knife he brought out of his belt, cut it into sixteen pieces. He gave one piece to each of his companions. The pieces started to grow until there were sixteen mantles like Oberon’s. They put the mantles across their shoulders and started to climb. This time the arrows came but never near them, the stones fell, but none touched them. Soon they were above ground and facing an army of evil warriors.

Skuld and Volud, Gilgamesh and Oberon, Robin and Don Quixote and prince Albert went forward. Skuld took out her invisible bow and arrow and started shooting at all in front her, Volud took out his invisible sword and started slashing at all before him. Oberon and Gilgamesh and Albert and Robin and Don Quixote, used their arms against the mighty enemy. Atri stayed behind, holding Ananda, who continued playing. Victoria remained with the queen serpent, and with Sancho. Sitana and Mātali were with her, and Lundi the dwarf, charged to protect them. The two saints remained there, too, they loathed war and conflict, and their time was not yet come.

Then the enemies went behind them; trying to attack Victoria and Atri, and those with them. Sitana turned into a giant Eagle that attacked them, and Mātali went toward them too. The dwarf used his powerful ax and slew many so the enemy scattered. The group reunited. Don Quixote and Robin were hurt, bleeding from their wounds. Skuld and Victoria took care of them, cleaning and healing their cuts. The wounds had been done by magical poisonous weapons, and Victoria and Skuld could not heal them; their only hope was to reach the healing stylus soon.

They walked for hours, until they reached the end of the second strip. Before them stretched a mighty mountain chain. They looked at each other with worry and fear. Who could know what awaited? They forged ahead, courageously, and started to climb. A cloud gathered; it shone with green phosphorescence and spread until it covered the mountain coming to them.

“Don’t breath it!” Cried Oberon. “Cover your faces with my mantle, and ran as fast as you can!”

They did as the Fairy King ordered and though the mountain was steep and high, they were soon on top of it. They had reached the next strip and before them were orcs, goblins and Wyrms, ogres, dragons, and hundreds of other monstrous creatures. The friends were dismayed, it was going to be impossible to fight these powerful fiends. Ananda’s fingers were bleeding, and he moaned lightly when he pulled the strings. Sitana and Mātali began to sign. The music grew powerful, gaining in strength and beauty. Ananda regained his strength and the music of the lyre surged potent; the shadows covering the land began to vanish.

The two Gandharvas went ahead, and the group of warriors followed. Robin and Don Quixote a little behind, while Lundi took their place.

They swung their swords and axes, they threw their arrows, and still Sitana and Mātali sung. Forward they went, leaving dead monsters in their wake. Just then, Sitana faltered and fell, a black arrow in her wing, but they were nearing the end. Mātali ran to the eagle who climbed above the horse. She was crying in pain, and they could see her wing swell and swell. Oberon pulled the arrow, carefully avoiding the poisoned tip. The eagle was dying; the damage was magic and couldn’t be undone. They ran the rest of the way separating them from the end of this strip.

They arrived to a frozen river and doubted. Could they ever cross it? It would probably break with their weight and the ice-cold waters would drown them all.

“Throw me across.” They heard a voice say. They had forgotten the snake. She slithered to the ground. “Do it fast, because I’m freezing.”

Oberon took the snake and with a mighty shove, threw her across the river. The snake grew and grew and grew even more, until she made a bridge between both shores.

The group climbed to the snake’s back and ran over it, because they knew the cold would kill her and they wanted to reach the other shore as fast as they could. They reached it; Mātali carrying the eagle, Oberon aiding Robin, Gilgamesh carrying Don Quixote on his back.

“I’m dying.” The snake whispered.

They pulled at her; she snaked over the ice, and came toward them. She was her own size now, but no spark of life remained. Victoria lifted the body, and wrapped it around her waist. She covered herself and the snake with the mantle and clothes she carried, trying to regain warmth. The snake still didn’t give signs of life; then Siddhartha came to them and waited. The Buddha touched the snake in head and in body, a glow was passing from the monk’s hands to the long animal.

The snake queen lifted its head. “Thank you, venerable. I’m better now.”

They had arrived at the fourth strip without being challenged. They looked around, but nobody was there. They felt happy and hopeful and started ahead.

“Wait!” Cried Oberon. “This is the strip of magic. Whatever will fight us is magical. They can be all around us.”

“And so we are, King of Fairies.” They heard.

They huddled, wherever they looked there was nothing, but they knew the enemy was there. The ice around them started to melt, and they began to sink into a sticky mud.

With swift gesture, Oberon cast a spell; the ground was ice again and they were not sinking. Another spell came, and fire surrounded them. Once again, Oberon made the counter spell, and so it went, spell against spell. But they could not move ahead; they knew they were surrounded by jinns and ifrits, witches and evil elves.

Unexpectedly, from nowhere, they heard an almost inaudible whisper saying: “The flute.”

Atri remembered Apollo saying genie would be there, and he remembered also the same genie could not stand the sound of the flute. He transferred Ananda to Gilgamesh’s arms, and took the flute from the child’s shirt. He started playing, and though his music was never as beautiful as the music Ananda played, it still did its part.

They heard moans and cries. Now they could see their enemies, and it was a frightful sight they beheld. Those beings who had been fighting them had their hands to their ears. They were moaning and bemoaning, as if they were afflicted with terrible pain.