Page 17 of Soaring into the Midlife
I gripped my rock candy sword tightly as the enemy drew nearer. "Just follow my lead."
As the army closed in, I took a deep breath and launched myself into the fray. With each swing of my candy sword, I sent gumdrop soldiers flying, their sugary bodies dissolving into sticky puddles upon impact.
"See?" I shouted back to Kendra and Zara. "It's working!"
"Hailey, behind you," Zara cried out, and I twirled around to face a new threat: licorice archers, their bows drawn and aimed directly at me.
"Kendra, now would be a great time for some magical assistance," I yelled, ducking and weaving to avoid the incoming barrage of candy arrows.
"Way ahead of you." She conjured a shimmering barrier that deflected the projectiles with ease.
"Nice work." I grinned as the frustrated archers lowered their weapons. "Now let's finish this."
Together, the three of us charged forward, our makeshift weapons slicing through the candy soldiers like a hot knife through butter.
"Kendra, we need a diversion," I shouted as more candy soldiers continued to close in on us. The gingerbread warrior was relentless, and we needed more time to strategize.
"Got it," Kendra yelled back, her eyes narrowing in concentration. With a flick of her wrist, an array of colorful sparks shot out from her fingertips, creating a dazzling spectacle that momentarily distracted the candy soldiers. One by one, they turned their attention away from us and toward the hypnotic display.
"Let's give 'em something they'll never forget," Kendra said, her determined expression mirroring my own. She raised her hands again, and this time, instead of sparks, a series of illusions materialized around us: towering walls of fire, booming thunderstorms, and even a pair of ferocious-looking dragons.
"Wow," I marveled at her handiwork, "I didn't know you had it in you."
"Neither did I," she admitted with a sheepish grin. "But desperate times call for desperate measures."
The candy soldiers were unnerved by Kendra's magical display, their ranks faltering as they hesitated in their advance. I smirked at the sight.
"Come on, let's move," I urged my friends, seizing the opportunity to put some distance between us and our pursuers. We sprinted through the candy castle courtyard, dodging past gumdrop lampposts and gingerbread houses as the bewildered soldiers struggled to keep up.
"Hailey," Zara said as we ran, "what's the plan here? We can't just keep running forever."
She was right. We turned a corner only to be confronted with the candy soldiers again. We stood shoulder to shoulder, facing the candy soldiers who had regrouped and were now advancing toward us with renewed determination. Kendra nodded, her eyes alight with fierce focus, while Zara glanced at me with a mixture of trepidation and excitement.
“Spread out!” I yelled. We darted in different directions, each of us using our unique abilities against the sugar-coated soldiers.
Kendra was a force to be reckoned with, her magic hands weaving intricate patterns in the air as she sent bolts of energy flying toward the candy adversaries. The impact left caramel seeping from their sugary bodies, slowing them down considerably.
"Hailey, watch out," Zara shouted, just as a marshmallow soldier swung its hefty arm toward me. I ducked, narrowly avoiding its sticky grasp, then used my vampire strength to pick up a nearby peppermint lamppost and swung it like a baseball bat, sending the marshmallow soldier flying into his comrades, creating a domino effect that knocked several of them down.
"Nice hit," Zara cheered, her enthusiasm contagious. She, too, was proving invaluable in this fight, weaving between the rows of candy soldiers, tying their licorice limbs together before they even realized what was happening.
"Guys, use the candy environment to our advantage." I'd spotted a cotton candy tree nearby. I sprinted toward it, yanking off a fluffy pink branch and tossing it toward a group of approaching gummy bears. They became stuck in the sweet substance, their movements hindered as they tried to shake free.
"Good thinking." Kendra followed suit by summoning a gust of wind that sent a shower of rock candy shards hurtling toward the enemy, forcing them to momentarily shield their gumdrop eyes and halt their advance.
As we fought, a larger-than-life gingerbread warrior appeared on the scene, wielding an enormous candy cane sword. His menacing grin sent shivers down my spine. It was clear he would not let us escape without a fight.
"What is this, the final boss?” I said sarcastically.
"Are we doing this?" Zara asked nervously, eyeing the gingerbread warrior as he approached.
"Right." I steeled myself for the battle ahead. "Let's show this cookie who's boss."
The gingerbread warrior raised his candy cane sword, ready to strike, and we braced ourselves for the final showdown.
He wasted no time. The gingerbread warrior's candy cane sword sliced through the air, narrowly missing my head as I ducked. We would not last much longer at this rate. Panic gnawed at the edges of my mind.
"Hailey! Look!" Kendra shouted, pointing to our right. There, amidst the chaos and destruction, a chocolate fountain shimmered with an ethereal glow, a swirling portal forming in its center.