Age of Valor: Blood Purge

by D. E. Morris

  He started leading them down stairs and hallways, making the girls feel as though they were mice trapped in a maze, but there were entire sections of the castle blocked off for cautionary reasons. Misuzu trusted Niam knew where he was going, though it was harder for Rowan, who could see nothing of the damage all around her. “Where in the world are we going?” she complained.

  Before Niam could even form an answer, a deafening crack split the air, immediately followed by a shock wave of aggressive kinetic energy so strong that it lifted all three of them off of their feet and sent them flying into the wall behind them.

  Misuzu knew she had broken ribs before she even tried to move; the pain arced through her torso like a branding rod being dragged across her chest. She couldn't breathe and struggled for air, feeling like her lungs wouldn't inflate. From the look of Rowan and Niam, laying in crumpled heaps beside her, they struggled as well, though Niam was fighting through to recovery much faster. His armor had protected his body from the impact, though it was clear he was fighting for breath just the same.

  “What was that?” Rowan cried, jamming her fingers in her ears and wiggling them. “My ears!”

  “Calm down!” Misuzu ordered. Instinct made her reach out to stay the younger woman's hands but the movement was an instant regret, drawing a pained howl from her lips.

  Niam scrambled to his feet with a dazed look on his face, trying to help both women through his confusion. He tugged at the neck of his breastplate, panting, trying to form words, but before anything would come, shouts of alarm from elsewhere in the castle drew their attention.

  “We have to go,” Misuzu moaned. If she could get somewhere to shift, her bones would knit themselves back together and she would be fine. The question that remained was if there would be time for that, given what they were hearing. She looked at Niam, fighting the urge to smack the dumbfounded look off of his face. “Now!” she barked, wincing at the constriction of muscles her yelling caused. “We have to go now!”

  He gave a vigorous shake of his head and pulled Rowan to her feet. “Careful,” Misuzu instructed when he reached for her next. She wrapped one arm around herself and started to get up, but the pain was too much and she fell back with a cry that echoed around her. “What doesn't have ribs?” she asked, tears rolling down her cheeks. “Quick!”

  “A worm!” Rowan exclaimed.

  Before another suggestion could be tossed out, Misuzu's body shrank and changed, turning into a small, tan colored worm that writhed on the floor where she had been sitting just seconds ago. Niam hardly hesitated before stooping to pick her up. Careful not to squish her in one hand, he grasped Rowan's fingers in the other and pulled her back toward the staircase to run up to where most of the commotion was coming from.

  By the time they found a way out onto a balcony that was safe, they were on one of the higher levels of the western wing of Altaine. It was here that they also found Cailin, Jaryn, and Wessely as well. Niam set Misuzu on the ground so she could return to her normal form before meeting eyes with his commanding officer. “What happened? What was that?”

  “We don't know,” Cailin offered, a look of pure terror on her face like he'd never seen before. She pointed out to sea. “But look...”

  The ocean was roiling and churning like a pot of water left boiling over a flame. As high up as the castle stood, they could see far out over the water, much farther than on land. “I can see it,” Rowan breathed. She moved around Misuzu and Niam, pushing her way in between Wessely and Jaryn to peer over the wall to stare out to sea. Her jaw slackened. “I can hear them...all of them...”

  No one understood what she was talking about but Misuzu, and she grunted, trying to pull herself up. “Her new powers,” she explained. Cailin and Niam rushed to help her stand, seeing her struggle. “She can hear sea life.”

  “They're raising the island.”

  “What?” Jaryn asked.

  Almost before his question was asked, massive chunks of land began cresting out of the bubbling waters, dark craggy rocks that looked like slashes of black against blue. As the water fell away and the land kept rising, everyone gathered could only watch in shock. Within seconds, more than half a dozen bodies of earth had risen from deep within the ocean to hang, completely suspended in the air at varying heights well above even the tallest spire Altaine once had constructed.

  “It is the Chrynir,” Wessely guessed. He tore his gaze away from the terrifying sight before him to rest it upon his son-in-law's face. “It must be. This is why they were gathering at the shores.”

  “To lift rocks from the sea?” Jaryn questioned.

  Rowan reached for Jaryn's hand and squeezed it tightly. “They're not done.”

  Something else was coming up out of the water, slow at first, but picking up speed with every passing second. While the other pieces of land had to have been at least as big as Horse Head Island for them to have been seen from Altaine, whatever was being raised now was ten times that size, if not more. Water poured off of it in streams. Sea creatures that had been unlucky enough to be caught in the up-sweep fell in showers of colorful bodies if they were lucky enough to free themselves from the island at all. Trees that had once been tall and vibrant with color now waterlogged and brittle sagged under the weight of their soggy branches. Those closest to the edges tumbled, tearing off pieces of the island with their deep roots and dragging them back to the depths below.

  “It's Mirasean,” said Cailin, quiet but certain. “All of the major pieces put back together to form most of the entire thing once again.”

  “How can you be sure?” asked Niam.

  She looked at Misuzu and the two women shared a nod, the most camaraderie they had shared since the last time they had been to Mirasean together. “There's only one way to find out,” Misuzu replied. She shifted into a bird as she had when there was no room up at Horse Head and took off into the air, her flight pattern erratic and clumsy. Cailin jumped up onto the balcony wall with her good leg and into the air to the sound of alarmed screams of onlookers and Wessely shouting her name. Both women shifted to their dragon form mid-air, though Cailin fell a great distance before her transformation was complete. It was her first time attempting the change the way she'd seen so many Gaels and almost all of the Elementals do it before. For a brief moment she thought she might actually die in her first attempt. At the very last second, however, before she went crashing into the castle grounds below, her wings flung wide and she caught the updraft to dart upward to join Misuzu in the air. Together, both of them shot forward to investigate the floating island in sky.

  They barely made it out over the water before another thunderous clap of noise and energy came resounding from the island itself, not only knocking everyone watching at the castle off their feet, making them fight for air once again, but it rendered Misuzu and Cailin nearly unconscious and dropped them from the sky like stones. More pieces of land began to rise as the ground started to shake once more, only this time, the entirety of Altaine swayed in its strength. Structures that had been weakened in the previous quake now shifted with ease, including the balcony on which Jaryn and the others stood. They tried to get out of each other's way, to get inside and help others, but Wessely had to practically be dragged inside as he called for Cailin again and again.

  Walls were crumbling and people were running every which way, all thoughts of helping one another cast to the wayside as self-preservation took over for most. Niam and Jaryn directed everyone toward the lower levels, knowing the floors that were built directly into the mountain should be the safest. He wasn't sure when Badru and Mairead had arrived, but when he saw them ushering people as well, he knew all of them had to have returned and felt better in knowing his wife and child were home.

  “The entire west wing is going to go,” Connor shouted as he ran by. “We have to evacuate!”

  Jaryn growled and started to follow, then doubled back to shout to Mairead. “Misuzu and Cailin flew out toward the island floating above the middl
e of the ocean.”

  “Say no more.”

  Splitting off in two different directions, Jaryn followed Connor to help those who were already trying to get others to safety while Mairead went to try to find a place to shift so she could locate her friends.

  Minutes ticked by and the ground continued to quake. The castle, already so weakened from before, fell apart before Jaryn's eyes like a set of building blocks. It soon became too dangerous for anyone to allow him to be inside. He was helpless to do anything but stand outside, as far back from the falling debris as possible, and watch his beloved home fall apart stone by stone. What had taken years, generations to build both physically and as an empire was destroyed in less than fifteen minutes. As he'd hoped, the mountain foundation kept the castle from being destroyed completely, but Altaine was no longer anything close to the towering beauty she had once been. Now, she was little more than a third of her height, and still the earth continued to tremble.

  “I can't find Kenayde,” Elas gulped, sprinting to Jaryn's side. “Jaryn, I can't find my wife!”

  “She is safe,” Badru rushed to tell him. “I sent her north to collect Ashlynn, Lochlainn, and Killian.”

  Confused, Jaryn looked around. “They're not here? What happened?”

  “It does not matter right now. Only know that they are safe. Kenayde will bring them home. They could fly no longer.”

  Elas collapsed onto a section of broken fountain as though his legs had given out, his face flushed. “No one told me,” he said weakly. “I thought she was still inside.” Badru squeezed his shoulder and Elas covered his mouth with his hand, shaking his head. “That last thing I said to her...”

  “Does not matter,” the older man told him kindly. “She will be here soon, whole and well.”

  Someone behind them screamed and all three of them turned in time to see the ground split open like a shell being cracked. “Move!” Jaryn yelled, springing from where he stood to shove people out of the way. Pockets of sulfurous air exploded from below as the crack widened, traveling both through the mountain toward Altaine and all the way down toward the village. The tremors reached their height when the rent in the ground sped under the castle and split it in two. The three men watched, horrified, as people inside tumbled into the opening, shrieking and howling as they fell to a painful death, bouncing off jagged rock and hard earth before disappearing below or being impaled on iron and stone.

  “Jaryn!” He turned to see Lochlainn and Ashlynn racing up behind him, reaching him just as the shaking stopped. Shameless, Jaryn threw his arms around his family and wept with Ashlynn, holding both of them as closely as he possibly could. Elas met Kenayde in the same manner, leaving Killian to stand there alone, staring mournfully at the castle.

  It was no small miracle that spared the lives of everyone within the core group. That was not to say that they didn't escape without injury. Lilia had been trapped under a fallen crossbeam and was not found for several hours. Her leg was broken, as well as several other bones, and she was severely dehydrated, but she would live. A section of rock fell on one of Wessely's feet as he was helping someone who was buried under rubble, giving him a limp to match Cailin's. Both she and Misuzu had fallen into the ocean and suffered only minor abrasions, but Cailin's leg was much worse for the wear. Any amount of pressure that was put on it made her crumple. By the Giver's hand alone, both Nagisa and Allorah, along with their nannies, made it out completely unscathed. Too many others could not say the same. While it was entirely too early to even guess at numbers, they all knew the death toll would be high and would likely come close to reaching totals not seen since the battle against Laidley so many years ago.

  As they were going through the ruins, Cavalon and Luella appeared together in fyre, devastated at what they saw. Both of their countries had felt the effects of the quakes and the blasts, but their own high kingdoms had not suffered anything close to this devastation. Braemar hadn't felt anything nearly as powerful as Siness, according to Cavalon. He likened it to what had been felt when they were up at Horse Head, but Luella said it had been a little worse at Montania.

  “Caedia lost land mass when the largest island was raised, as I am certain did Siness and Ibays.”

  “Braemar was likely protected by Siness and Caedia,” Cavalon said with a frown.

  “Amme and most of the king's wood were torn from the mainland,” Luella continued. “Montania itself saw a bit of damage, but...” She trailed off, pain and deep sadness etched into every line of her face as her eyes trailed over what was left of Altaine. “This breaks my heart. Altaine was the first place I felt safe, the first place I felt like I truly had a family. I cannot believe this is all that is left of it.”

  “We'll rebuild,” Jaryn growled, dirt smeared across his face. There was a foreign fire in his eyes as he, too, looked over the remnants of his home. “And she'll be mightier than she ever was.”

  Connor came walking over a section of wall on the back of Nyx and looked out toward the floating island. “So...what now?”

  “We keep working,” said Ashlynn wearily. She glanced a little way away to where Killian and Elas were helping Mairead take care of some of the injured. Even though he was still battling pain of his own from the damage her scales had caused, he was giving nothing less than everything he had. They were all tired, afraid, and spent in every way, but they had to keep going. There was no other choice.

  While the adults worked and talked, Lochlainn picked his way around the destruction of his home. He was told to stay with the babies and their nannies, but they were older women who were too busy crying over what had happened and making sure the little girls weren't crying to pay too much attention to him. He didn't need to be looked after by a nanny, anyway. He was an Elemental, after all. He could shift and fly by himself, make fyre and travel through it, he'd even figured out how to block telepathic conversations. Except from Mairead. He tried to block her but for some reason, he couldn't. It didn't matter, he was practically an adult now himself. That meant he didn't need a nanny. Still, just to be safe, he waited until they were distracted before wandering away.

  He kept a brave face around everyone else, mostly because he was too scared to cry. This castle was his home, the only one he had ever known. Just that morning he'd awoken in his bed, had breakfast and played with his toys in his room. In the very same day, it was all gone, and he didn't understand. All he knew was that he had never been this sad before in his entire life. He wished Lucien had come with Cavalon. Lucien always made him feel better when he wanted to cry, and right now, all Lochlainn wanted to do was cry.

  Part of a turret lay in a pile of one of the many mounds of debris all around the grounds. It was rounded and hollow inside, and completely secluded. Lochlainn glanced around to make sure no one was near, then climbed inside the dark hole. It was cool and close inside, like a little cave. He leaned against the curved side and drew his knees up to his chest. All the sounds from the outside became muted, making him feel like he was far away from it all. At first, it felt like a relief. Then all at once, a wave of sadness washed over him so fast and so strong that hot tears overflowed and ran down his cheeks before he even knew what was happening. His thin body shook with sobs and he hugged his legs, tucking his face into his knees to muffle his cries. He didn't want anyone to find him, but he couldn't stop crying.

  “Lochlainn, I am so sorry.”

  He lifted his chin, turning toward the light at the end of the turret to see the sun had changed positions in the sky. How long had he been there? Who was that blocking the entrance? As his eyes adjusted to the light, he recognized the pale blonde hair and the fair skin, seeing a trail of moisture on the woman's face as she peered in at him. It was Brigid, his new friend, and she was crying, too. He didn't know why he felt compelled to do so, but he crawled back to the entrance and threw his arms around her neck, and sobbed into her feather soft hair. She wrapped her thin arms around him and he felt her shoulders shake under him as she cried with him.
Her fingers ran through his hair and she rocked him in a gentle manner, the way his mother had when he was a little younger. “I am so sorry,” she repeated in a whisper.

  He clung to her a little tighter, staying there until his tears finally stemmed. When he sniffled and took in a long, shuddering breath, she carefully extracted his arms from around her neck and looked into his face. With the sweetest gentility, she wiped the remnants of his tears away, looking at him as though she cherished this sorrowful moment for some unknown reason. “Sweet, sweet boy.” Her head tilted, the corners of her lips curving upward ever so slightly. “Lochlainn, you have to find me.”

  “I don't understand,” he blubbered, fresh tears filling his eyes. He didn't like riddles and was so tired. All he wanted was his own bed and to snuggle with his mother, but that wasn't going to happen. “You're right here.”

  Instead of explaining, she only gave him another one of her small, odd smiles and stood, taking his hand. Without a word, she led him back toward the group where his mother and father were still gathered among most of their friends and family. All of the Elementals were there, each of them with their faces turned out toward the ocean.

  “What do you think it means?” Niam asked.

  Elas scowled. “Obviously the Chrynir have some pretty powerful magic on their side if they can raise entire bodies of land into the air and keep them suspended, and cause massive earthquakes and shock waves like that.”

  “It is not simply Chryniric magic that allows the island to float,” Brigid told the group. They all turned at the sound of her voice, those unfamiliar with her immediately on guard. Killian reached for his sword upon seeing her hand around Lochlainn's, but paused when Ashlynn exclaimed, “Brigid!” Badru greeted the strange woman with familiarity as well, and even Cavalon regarded her with an odd look in his eye.