“So, is it true?” Jaedo returned to his normal appearance. “Do the others have gifts, too?”
Cierra paused for a moment. She wasn’t sure if she should trust them completely, but they were her only chance right now. She needed some allies. “Makram doesn’t seem to have a gift, as far as I know anyway. He has definitely been much grumpier, and quieter lately. Theo has his healing. It’s back, and he managed to heal Cherish. Cherish is still having terrifying prophetic dreams. Most of the time, her dreams are symbolic and confusing, though. So, it’s three out of four of us.”
Aphano tilted his head to the side. He felt himself falling back into his role of teacher. “Technically, healing is just part of body manipulation. Theo has only learned the basics. He hasn’t been taught how to morph his features, but it’s the same as what Jaedo can do. What is really exciting is that he was able to heal someone else. That is an extremely rare gift. Only those whose sense of self is intrinsically tied to the welfare of others are able to heal another being. Typically, only incredibly benevolent, empathetic people receive such an honor.”
“Theo?” Cierra let out a little laugh. “Benevolent and empathetic?” Maybe Batumah knew something she didn’t.
“That’s an odd way to talk about your husband?” Aphano squinted at her, studying her.
Jaedo waved away the monk’s suspicions. “They’ve been locked in a confined space for days. Every healthy couple still has their spats.”
Cierra mentally kicked herself. How could she have forgotten that she was supposed to be married to Theo? She tried to cover the mistake. “You know, even though he does get on my nerves some time. I do love him. I shouldn’t have made such a mean comment about him. I’m sorry.”
“Cierra are you, blushing?” Jaedo peered at her with a smile on his face.
“No!” She quickly turned her head to avoid looking at either of the Yastas.
Aphano laughed, and held his hand over his heart. “It is so thrilling to see a wife who still blushes when she’s talking about how much she loves her husband. Honestly, it only makes me even more willing.”
“Willing?” Cierra felt like the two of them had been having a discussion when she was still unconscious, and she still wasn’t completely caught up on everything.
Jaedo beamed at her proudly. “I confided in him after I brought you the food that day. He has seen Karl’s viciousness firsthand. Aphano and I are willing to support you and your friends.”
“What?”
Aphano nodded. “Karl has not been able to reach the rank of Brother Superior because he has been unable to manifest a gift. Batumah has obviously found you and your friends worthy. I trust his judgement above anyone else’s.”
Tears began to brim in Cierra’s eyes. “I’m sorry. It’s just been so difficult for me lately. To have someone tell me that I’m worthy, and that they are willing to help me and the people I care about… It’s almost like I didn’t realize how much I needed that kindness. Hearing you say that just really touched me.”
All of the pent-up emotions inside of her bubbled up to the surface. She tried to push everything down, but the weeks of stress had finally come to a head. She turned her face away from the two Jaedo and Aphano. While trying unsuccessfully to stem her tears, she stared out into the sky looking for any familiar constellations. Suddenly, a thought made her blood run cold. The Carbonari plan was still in motion. All of the Yasta leaders were being set up to be murdered during the Dargani festival. Cierra realized that every fiber of her being was now against that plan. She had to do something. Maybe there was still time to stop it, or warn the leaders.
Looking out at the sky, she noticed something moving through the night. A rapidly approaching ship went from horizontal to nearly vertical flight. It expelled drop pods, throwing them up with its momentum. Each pod arced towards the mountain top, before disappearing from her view. Cierra was in no doubt where they were headed. She froze with horror. The ship itself now dove, growing larger with every passing second. It was aimed at the center of the main temple. The architecture crumbled as it hit, even as fire flashed from the craft’s shattered belly. The room shook. She was too late. The attack was already underway.
Six
Dust billowed around Theo. His eyes and lungs stung. His head throbbed. Coughing, he reached out through the rain of dust and rocks coming from the ceiling of the cell. “Cherish? Cherish, where are you?”
“Theo?” Cherish could hear his voice, but the sound was distorted. The screens of her vision were on the fritz. She saw a hand flailing around the dust, and grasped it. “Are you okay?”
“A few scrapes, but I think I’m fine. What about you?” He could feel the air stinging fresh cuts on his knees, and arms. He focused on trying to heal himself, but the process was slow. He hadn’t had much food, and there was no sunlight in the Yasta dungeon. His body just didn’t have the energy he needed to heal quickly.
Cherish did a quick system check. Something was definitely wrong with her software or hardware. It was to the point that she wasn’t even sure anymore. She just knew that something was wrong. “I’m fine. Let’s get out of here.”
“What do you think that was?” Theo winced as one of the deeper scrapes tried to heal.
Hauling Theo to his feet, she started to pick a path through the debris. “I’m not sure. It’s too early for a Carbonari attack, unless they changed something. We haven’t had a radio in so long, it could be anything. We’ve just been flying blind. For all the Grand Council knows we never even made it to the monastery.”
Cherish stood up, and extended a lasana blade. “We’re probably the least of the Yasta’s problems right now. I think it’s time to get out of here.”
“Couldn’t agree more.”
Cherish, with a little effort, sliced a rectangle in the heavy door. They stepped through it, into a chamber which connected to several other cells. The torch light there was so bright compared to the conditions in their cell that Theo had to shield his eyes momentarily. Cherish’s eyes adjusted instantly. “Come on,” she said, grabbing Theo’s arm and leading him toward the staircase opposite.
Theo held his breath to listen, once they had nearly ascended the stairs. “Wait, do you hear that?” There was a constant clattering sound the closer they go to the above ground part of the monastery.
“Hear what?” Cherish tried to pick up what he was listening to, but she couldn’t hear anything.
“You don’t hear that? It sounds like…yeah, I’m almost sure it’s sword fighting.”
“Sword fighting? Maybe the Council did speed up the time of the attack.”
Theo looked at her with wide eyes. “You might want to get out your sword blade again.” They had no idea what they would be running into when they were back on the surface. Theo stayed behind Cherish. If they were about to emerge into the middle of a battle, he would need to find a weapon of his own—quickly.
“Ready?” Cherish positioned herself in front of the last door that was blocking their path between the underground dungeons and the ground floor.
Theo nodded, but Cherish was hesitating. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Just hold on a second.” There was a slight, grinding sound, and then Cherish’s lasana blade appeared. She dabbed the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve. That took much more effort than she was used to. Armed, she shoved the door open.
Debris was piled up in front of the door on the other side. Theo had to help Cherish heave against the door before it would move. The sight that was waiting for them was not what they had been prepared for. Cherish slipped through a gap in the rubble, and found a place to crouch. Theo followed her lead.
Soldiers swathed in black uniforms swarmed around the monastery. Imperial blasters sent round after round of plasma towards the Yasta monks. The Yasta that were armed swirled infintium blades. They deflected the plasma when they could, sending the blasts back towards the soldiers.
“Those are the Emperor’s men. What are they doin
g here?” Cherish balked. The monks were fighting hard, but they were up against far superior technology.
“I don’t know, but we have to do something. This is going to be a massacre.”
“Wait.” Cherish’s eyes were fixed on a higher level, a few stories above them. “Is that…Makram?”
“He’s up there with Karl!” Theo tried to pull himself up into a standing position, but Cherish pushed him down by the shoulder.
He didn’t have any weapons, but knowing Theo that wouldn’t stop him. If she let him go up there, it would be a suicide mission. Her systems might have been experiencing glitches, but she still stood a better chance than he did. Before Theo could say anything, Cherish was already fumbling up the broken, rubble strewn stairs to get to where Makram was.
Theo tried to follow her, but healing had taken more out of him than he had realized. The world swam before him. He tried to steady himself. There wasn’t even enough energy to pull himself to his feet. He needed something he could convert to energy. There wasn’t any food nearby, but there was water.
He caught sight of the fountain in the courtyard, still bubbling incongruously in the middle of the vicious, bloody battle. There were dead bodies and warring soldiers blasting anything that moved between Theo and the fountain. If he could make it, maybe he could get a little strength back—hopefully enough to finish healing. Theo set his jaw firmly in place. It was worth the risk. Cherish and Makram needed him. Plus, Cierra was still missing.
Lowering himself to the ground, Theo began to army crawl through the carnage. He tried to ignore the pooling blood and the dead men’s stares. There were more monks strewn across his path than imperial soldiers. The odds were not looking good for the Yasta. The water in the fountain bubbled a few yards off. Theo crawled from the cool stone to the soft grass that surrounded the large ornament. The fountain was almost in reach. Crawling the rest of the way, somehow managing to stay off of the soldiers’ radar, Theo dipped his hands in the water. It was cold against his skin. It was a shock after being in the dungeon so long. He cupped some in his palms, and brought it to his lips.
While he drank, he looked up in time to see Makram and Karl both plunge their blades into the back of the same Brother Superior. Theo almost choked. Makram and Karl were on the same side? He had to have missed something. There was no way Makram would work with the man who had orchestrated almost all of their troubles up to this point. If anything, Makram’s hatred for Karl rivaled even Theo’s. From the corner of his eye, he saw Cherish reach the landing where Makram and Karl were. There was no way for him to get her attention, to warn her that the two of them were working together. A stray plasma blast singed the side of the fountain near Theo’s head. Ducking, he crawled into the fountain. The cold water, a foot deep, shocked him. He drank quickly to try to build up his strength. Whatever was about to happen, he needed all the energy he could muster.
Cherish lifted her blade, and charged along the upper level. Her focus was trained on Karl. Blood bathed his blade. A Brother Superior was wielding a blade, but Karl made short work of it with his lasana blade. He easily sliced through the blade, and then through the monk himself. Makram was not far off. She saw her leader reach down, and grab a blaster from one of the dead imperials. Makram braced his boot on the rail of the balcony, and one by one, he started shooting the monks beneath him in the courtyard. It was an unfair advantage. The monks never stood a chance.
Sweeping her blade around her head, Cherish closed the gap between herself and Karl. Surprise flashed across his face for a second. Cherish’s blade collided with his, sending sparks flying. “Surprised to see me?”
Karl’s lips pulled up into a snarl. “It’s not every day I get the chance to kill someone twice.”
The sounds of their blades colliding added more chimes to the already deafening chaos around them. From a door further down the balcony, Cherish saw Cierra appear with Aphano and Jaedo. Relieved that Cierra was alive, Cherish threw herself deeper into the fray. Karl leapt onto an overturned flowerpot. The sturdy stone planter held his weight, and gave him a higher vantage point. Cherish’s footing slipped, as she stepped onto a pile of bodies that twisted and shifted beneath her. Despite the tricky terrain, she managed to keep his blade blocked at every turn. He had already killed her once. Cherish wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of doing it again.
Below, in the courtyard, Theo caught a glimpse of Cierra battling imperial soldiers. His heart leapt. Renewed energy flowed through him. Swinging himself out of the fountain, Theo grabbed weapons out of the hands of some dead imperials. Untrained acolytes had fallen quickly in the beginning of the siege. They were full of good intentions, but intentions did nothing against blasters.
Theo hurtled over piles of bodies, and took out a few imperials on his way to the staircase. A blaster fired at the ground near his foot. The shot came from higher up on the balcony. Theo quickly dove to the side. He might have been able to heal a plasma blast wound on a good day, but he needed to keep as much of his replenished strength as possible. He took the steps two at a time. Dashing up the steps, Theo stumbled onto the balcony.
Makram was still blasting the monks below them like he was shooting fish in a barrel. Cherish was engaged in a sloppy fight with Karl. The only person that drew Theo’s eye in that moment was Cierra. He ran to her, unaware of the surroundings. He fired blindly in the direction of a few imperials. They crumpled to the ground.
Theo grabbed Cierra and pulled her into his arms. He buried his nose into her hair. It smelled sweaty, but he couldn’t have cared less at that moment. He hadn’t realized how much his heart had been aching until he held her close to him. “You’re alive!”
“Watch out!” Cierra latched onto him, and spun around so that her back was where his had been only a moment before. A plasma blast veered to the side around them both. Theo brushed her hair away from her face. Cierra stared up at him. For a moment it was as if the world around them didn’t exist.
A loud yelling brought them out of their trance. Aphano leapt behind them and tackled Makram. The two of them fell through the window, into the interior of the monastery. Theo quickly blinked and let her go. She looked almost as startled as he felt. Cierra took a few quick steps away from him, trying to find another imperial to challenge.
Most of the imperial soldiers seemed better trained with blasters than with swords. Any time a monk managed to get in close to them, they would scatter, preferring the safety of ranged shooting instead of one-on-one swordfights. They also seemed to clump together. It was hard to get any of them singled out on the battle field. From their positions, they sprayed the courtyard with bursts from their guns. The stones below were splattered red with blood. Screams filled the air.
“Please, please, help me!” A voice cried out from somewhere, but Theo had hard time locating the source. A pale green hand grabbed at his ankle.
He looked down. Seeing a young Josti acolyte bleeding under a pile of bodies, Theo knelt down beside him. He recognized the Josti as Bokka. “Cierra, cover me.” Theo clasped the Josti’s hand. “Where are you hurt?”
“I don’t know. I’m getting cold. Please, help me.”
“Hold on.” Theo started shifting bodies off of Bokka.
There was blood everywhere. It was hard for Theo to tell where it was coming from. From the corner of his eye, he saw Cierra deflect a plasma blast with an infintium blade. The Josti in front of him was shivering in the mild night air. Theo moved the final body, and saw where the blood was coming from. Bokka’s legs had been shot off from the knee down. Blood gushed from his stumps. Theo tried to stem the bleeding, but there was so much of it. The Josti’s eyes were unfocused. He seemed to be smiling at something that only he could see. Theo pressed his hands on Bokka’s body, trying to heal him, but even as he tried to repair the veins and arteries, he felt the young acolyte fading away.
“He has come to me.” Bokka looked up with sincere happiness into the night sky.
“What? Who has com
e to you?” Theo shook the Josti slightly, trying to get him to focus.
“I did not know you would have such a familiar face, Batumah.” He raised two of his arms above his head, and crossed them at the forearms. It was the symbol that they had been taught to use when they were done sparring. “I am ready.” One final breath left the Josti’s body.
“No!” Theo shook Bokka roughly now. “Don’t you give up! I can do this! I can heal you!” Theo pressed his hands harder against the chilled body.
“Theo.” Cierra’s voice was soft, and close to his ear.
“I can bring him back!”
“Theo!” Her voice was louder this time.
“It doesn’t have to be like this. I can save one person. I can save him!”
“THEO!” Cierra turned him roughly away from Bokka. “You’re not responsible for saving everyone. You’re not responsible for his death, okay?”
“There’s still time!” He tried to pull away from her, but she wouldn’t let him. Cierra held his head still, and leaned her forehead against his. She stared deeply into his eyes. “Batumah came for him. It was his time. Theo, just because you can heal others does not mean that you can forever cheat death.”
Theo glanced down at his hands. It was covered in Bokka’s blood. “I just wanted to help him.”
“I know. I know you did.” Cierra saw the pain in his eyes. He really did care about others the way Aphano had said. She took his hands and wiped them on the hem of her robes. It was the only thing she could think to do. It seemed that Batumah knew what he was doing when he gave Theo the gift to heal others, after all.
Aphano caught a glimpse of Theo and Cierra reuniting through one of the windows. It rekindled the spark inside of him. His infintium blade clashed against the one Makram was wielding. Snapping his beak, Aphano glared at the man in front of him. “How can you make the climb, and then betray us like this? We accepted you as one of our own!”
The Relissarium Wars Omnibus Page 40