NIGHT, I Rin [classic book list txt] 📗

the valley was closed by two rocks, and our heroine was now on one of them.

When she saw all this horror and smelled this entire stench, she felt bad. She felt dizzy and a lump in the throat. At this point, at the bottom of the mountain, at the mouth of the valley, she heard clatter and a small cavalry group began to break through to the cave entrance.

The riders went among the rocks by the shortest route. All the creatures crawling among the rocks heard the sound of hooves and began to surround the warriors. The soldiers drew their swords and began to repel the attacks of the hideous monsters. Huron and Margo shot a way out and sent their horses on. Apparently, that it was very angered the creeping reptiles. They became more aggressive. The warriors were fighting bravely, but the advantage wasn’t on their side.

At this point, Prince Night and the Goblins’ King gave a sign to the armies - to go into the valley! People and Goblins came simultaneously from two flanks and immediately began to fight with the monsters. The monsters didn’t expect such a dirty trick and confused retreated to the mountains, while the sorcerer and his sister could get to the cave save and sound. Angelica saw that they dismounted, untied the bag with magic things from the saddle and disappeared in the dark cave.

“The huge spiders are also there!” she whispered, biting her lips.

‘The second stage’

 

Meanwhile, the troops of Edward and Swein were attacking dinosaurs. The soldiers were fighting desperately and soon it became clear that the united army was winning.

“Thank God! Thank God!” Angelica was whispering.

The bastards tried to break out of the valley but apparently, something was holding them. They were lashing among the rocks, jumping over the ravines but could not leave the territory, surrounded by the mountains. Suddenly something happened...

There was a buzz, and the earth shook. Immediately after that, a few monsters escaped of the valley on the road leading to the Ghosts’ fields.

“The barrier, they have unlocked the barrier!” Lica shouted from the top.

Nobody heard her, but without this warning, Prince Night and the Goblins’ King had already known that the first step was done and now nothing held the predators in the valley.

“It means that Margo and Huron were able to trick the spiders and got to the right place in the caves,” Angelica said to herself. “They must have already started the ritual.”

The troops of people and goblins regrouped. Now they had to move beyond the valley to prevent the predators of getting into the Night Kingdom from the side of the mountains. Archers were climbing on the huge boulders and with their sharp arrows getting the fastest monsters.

Suddenly, the ground beneath the feet of the soldiers shook again. Some of them even could not keep on their feet and fell down. Here and there through the cracks in the earth more and more monster were coming outside. Some were worse than others. Making a terrible roar they as mad pounced on the people and goblins. Huge spiders went out of the cave stabbing their jaws into the soldiers’ bodies and sucked their blood. The army was suffering heavily and they had to retreat.

Lica was terribly nervous. She tried to see Swein or Edward but couldn’t find them in the crowd.

There were more and more monsters. Angelica looked with horror at what was happening. She looked back at the army of vampires behind and couldn’t understand why they were standing still. The mountains were shaking. Large stones and boulders were rolling down. A huge crack ran from the cave to the deep abyss. In a moment all monsters were frozen and then howled terribly.

The Earth shrank and a thick yellow fog began to come out of the abyss.

“The second stage!” cried Lica. “This is the second stage! Go back!”

But the soldiers beneath could not hear her because of the swords clashing, howling monsters and groaning wounded warriors. The girl jumped up on a huge boulder at the very top of the mountain waving her arms and shouting:

“Go back! Retreat immediately!”

Having realized that they didn’t hear her, Angelica ran down the mountain to the army of vampires. She was running down the hill and shouting with all her voice:

“Hurry up! The second stage! Arthur, it’s the second stage!”

The Prince of Vampires noticed coming down girl and instantly understood what the phrase: ‘The second stage!’ meant.

He immediately ordered his army to attack and the vampires drew their swords and rushed into the valley.

“What have I done?” horrified Lica. “I did not say that the fog rises from the abyss! If they go directly to the cave, they may not notice it. What then?!”

Angelica ran to her horse, which was neighing and lunging on the leash. The girl untied it and climbed into the saddle. She tugged at the reins and followed the vampires.

“Arthur!” Lica cried. “Ride to the abyss! To the abyss!”

She caught up with them almost at the entrance to the valley.

“Go to the abyss!” she cried, pointing the opposite to the cave direction.

The Prince of Vampires stopped his horse and looked there.

The yellow fog was getting thicker and rising higher and higher.

“To the right flank!” Arthur briefly commanded his soldiers.

They turned their horses and rushed to the abyss. At this moment, the fog split apart and something black and dense appeared from it, it was similar to human size inkblot. Then another one and then more and more... The reptiles and creatures didn’t notice the soldiers anymore, began to rush through the valley in horror. The ‘blots’ slowly rose. The scene was absolutely spectacular…

One of them swooped down on a lizard and in a second sucked it up. Only the skin and bones of the monster fell down on the earth. Everything was balled up.

People and goblins were mad with fear. They were running away from the cave. It was rather the flight than retreat. The men were running past Angelica, throwing swords away and screaming in terror.

Now she noticed Prince Edward and King Swein. They were trying to keep the army and give orders, but in this situation, no one listened to them. The ‘blots’ began to swoop down one after the other on the screaming people and goblins sucking them one by one.

“Stop!” exclaimed the Prince of Vampires. “They can feel your fear and kill those who energetically open for them!”

The Vampires came down on the ‘blots’ cutting them down. From the vampires’ swords, they shrank and fell apart.

“They have different weapon,” Angelica guessed. “They can kill not only the physical body!”

Meanwhile, the goblins and people army quickly retreated beyond the valley. The Prince Night and Swein were still among the boulders, fighting with huge lizards.

“Go back!” Lica shouted to them. “Your weapon is powerless against the monsters of the abyss!”

Suddenly they heard a whistling sound and a huge crater grew up from the yellow fog. It was rising higher and getting wider. Suddenly the translucent creatures appeared out of the crater and furiously attacked the vampires. Two riders from Arthur’s army fell to the ground with a groan... and vanished.

“These things can quickly absorb our energy!” shouted the Prince of Vampires. “If the sorcerers don’t hurry up with the third stage, we won’t be able to hold out longer!”

“What happened to Margo and Huron?” Angelica was thinking nervously. “Why don’t they start the third stage?”

A few more vampires fell down from their horses and disappeared.

To the sorcerers!

“I have to find the sorcerer and the witch immediately!” decided the girl.

She pulled her sword out, struck the horse with a whip and rushed towards the cave.

“Where are you going? Are you crazy!” she heard someone cried behind.

But Lica did not even turn her head. She saw only one goal in front - the entrance to the cave. Her horse was neighing and jumping from side to side. But Angelica was holding the reins tight. Suddenly a huge shadow rushed to the girl. Horrible stench hit her in the nose. Lica looked around and saw how something terrible was coming straight towards her. This ‘something’ fell on its hind legs getting ready to jump.

“Oh dear!” Angelica cried.

Almost automatically, she swung her sword and slashed at the monster. It roared and limping fell to the ground... but other monster had already followed the dead one.

“Faster! Faster!” the girl commanded to herself.

But it was too late to break through to the cave. The creepy-crawlies had circled her. Lica stopped the horse and put her sword forward. Suddenly, she heard a voice behind:

“Oh, well, how can you be so stupid?”

Angelica looked around and saw... Swein. He was on his horse holding a drawn sword in his hand.

“What are you doing here?” cried the girl.

“That's what I would like to ask you first!” retorted the Goblins’ King.

He began to approach Lica slowly. At this point, one of the reptiles flicked his tail and tried to knock the girl out of the saddle. Angelica managed to react in time and dodged her horse from a terrible hit. This infuriated the predators and they almost at once rushed to Lica and Swein. The girl screamed but began to reflect the monsters’ blows. A little further, the Goblins’ King was fighting with the monsters. Three of the six creatures were already dead and then something distracted the predators. They looked up and then ran away from Angelica and Swein.

“Hurry up!” cried the Goblins’ King. “Otherwise, we will die!”

He hit Lica’s horse with whip and spurred his horse. A minute later, two riders were galloping to the cave. The girl did not have time to realize what had happened but now the more important thing was to find the sorcerers.

A few minutes later, our heroes jumped down from their horses at the entrance to the cave. Swein almost pulled Angelica out of the saddle and towed her into a dark embrasure.

“Hurry up!” he whispered. “We have to find Huron and Margo!”

“What? What happened there?” Lica murmured.

“Run, I’ll tell you later!”

The Goblins’ King was dragging the girl through the dark corridors. Angelica could see absolutely nothing, but Swein was navigating in the dark like a cat.

“Why is it so quiet?” he said. “There should be spiders! Why is it so quiet?!”

Our heroes ran through several corridors, and finally went into a wide one leading to the abyss. At the end of it they could see the light.

“What is there?” the girl pointed forward.

“Hush!” whispered the Goblins’ King.

Lica and Swein carefully made ​​their way forward. The light was getting brighter. But the picture they saw there, threw them into the horror...

At the end of the corridor near the wall, Margo was laying motionlessly. They couldn’t understand whether she was alive or not. At the edge of the abyss, there were the remains of the tentacles and bodies of chopped monsters. There was terrible stench everywhere. Huron wasn’t anywhere.

Lica knelt down and crawled to the witch. She grabbed Margo’s hands trying to drag her down the corridor. A minute later, Swein came to help her and together they brought the witch into the darkness. Suddenly Margo moaned.

“Hush, hush!” whispered Lica. “These are we - Angelica and Swein! What happened to you? Where is your brother? Why didn’t you complete the ritual?”

“Angelica,” whispered the witch, “listen to me! We have finished the second stage, and now the gates into the abyss are open. But the monsters escaped from there, dragged Huron down! We have to finish the ritual! But without my brother it is impossible! Only his soul can seal the gates. Find him, or it will be too late!”

With these words, Margo fainted.

“Oh God!” the girl wailed. “We are both mortal and to go into the abyss is the same as to commit the suicide!”

Swein was sitting silent. Then he looked at her and said firmly:

“We have to finish the ritual! The life of the people depends on us! I'm going!”

“Me too!” they heard a voice from the darkness of the corridor.

After a