Angst Box Set 2

by David Pedersen

  “Let’s go save Ehrde,” she said.

  They all stood. Angst looked into Tori’s eyes, and they softened a bit.

  “Tell young Angst to find me in the courtyard. I don’t want to do any of this without you,” she said, quietly. “That’s an order.”

  “Yes, Your Highness,” he said with a deep bow.

  “What’s that?” Mirim asked, peering out at the field.

  A speck, a tiny dot had appeared a stone’s throw from the beam of white light. Angst sent some gamlin to investigate before reaching out with his mind. He sensed no bones or anything else. The gamlin stopped several hundred yards from the dot, unwilling or unable to approach.

  “Magic,” Angst whispered under his breath.

  “Element of humans,” Magic said. His voice was so clear it was if he stood beside Angst.

  “Did you hear that?” Angst asked.

  Everyone nodded.

  “Neat trick,” Dallow said.

  “Let’s make this easy,” Magic said. “Let’s avoid this war and fight the duel you’ve always wanted. Man to man. Element to element. Come face me, hero of Unsel.”

  “Tempting,” Angst said between gritted teeth. “I can’t believe he’s stupid enough to fight me alone.”

  “Don’t be cocky,” Rose said. “He’s still an element. You’re not.”

  “You’re right,” Angst said, taking a few calming breaths. “We should stick to the plan.”

  “Come to me, Angst,” Magic said. “Or your best friend will die a most painful death.”

  “Tarness,” Angst whispered. He suddenly sensed bones. It was too far to see, but someone was definitely beside Magic.

  “It’s a trap, Angst,” Dallow said.

  “Of course it’s a trap,” Angst said. “But if he’s got Tarness…I can’t let another friend die.”

  “But if he kills you, it’s all over,” Rose said.

  “What a failure of a hero,” Magic said, his voice winding its way into his frustration. “Are you too frightened to face my challenge?”

  “If you’re going back in time to change everything, would saving him even matter?” Mirim asked.

  “It would if I fail,” Angst said.

  “Hold on, Angst,” Dallow said, his eyes glowing white. “Give me a minute to block him out.”

  “Do you know what kind of person would let his best friend die a painful death?” Magic said. “The same one who would let his family die in fire.”

  Angst saw red as fury boiled his blood. With a roar, he leaped over the cliff’s edge and landed on his steel ram swifen.

  “Angst, no,” Victoria called after him. “This is the wrong future!”

  Blue and red lightning surrounded him as he rode straight down the cliff wall. The swords wanted this more than he did. It’s what they were made for, and they fueled his power. He landed on the field and raced toward Magic in a blur.

  “Get him,” Alloria shouted.

  46

  Thunder echoed throughout the canyon as the fury of all nations poured onto the field. Victoria swallowed hard as plans and visions were run over in the stampede. Accepting a small telescope from Mirim, she viewed what she already knew. Angst was right; armies had been waiting along the field’s edge. As Nordruaut, Fulk’han, tribesmen, merpeople, and the army of Melkier raced toward Angst on the ground, dark forms of Berfemmian took to the air. To make matters worse, watery gargoyles, dragons, and cavastil birds now littered the skies.

  “He’s moving so fast I can barely follow him,” Jaden said in surprise. “How is that possible, even for an Al’eyrn?”

  “He’s Angst,” Alloria said, hopping up and down.

  “We should go after him,” Rose said.

  “Even at top speed,” Dallow said, “the armies will be on him before we arrive.”

  “Keep talking,” Victoria said as she watched Angst race toward Tarness. “Give me options.”

  “The field will be full by the time our army arrives,” Mirim said. “We’d have to fight our way to him, which is a lot to ask considering some of our opponents.”

  “How will Angst and Magic be able to fight when they’re swarmed by all of that?” Nikkola asked.

  “The element won’t want to be distracted,” Jaden said. “He’ll keep the armies from interfering with a shield.”

  “We have to beat them to Prendere,” Dallow said. “To create a path for Angst when he wins, or stop Magic if he doesn’t.”

  “Can we get there in time?” Victoria asked.

  “Angst has his full rage on, and Magic is fighting for the trophy,” Dallow said, looking up and tapping his chin. “I’d guess we have twenty minutes.”

  “An Al’eyrn can push swifen faster than normal,” Jaden said, nodding to Rose. “Even skirting the battle, we could be there in ten.”

  “I can do that,” Rose said proudly, her daggers glowing green. “Then what?”

  “Even when Angst is an idiot, I believe in him,” Victoria said. “He wouldn’t just rush and leave us behind.”

  “You’re right,” Dallow said. “What does the future tell you?”

  Angst’s plan, and seeing a hint of his future, had given her hope. Without him, Victoria’s visions of the distant future were a mix of unreliable and frightening. No matter how hard she sought the win, too many paths showed the worst sort of dead ends. Despite her fear, she desperately searched. All remained silent as she flipped through pages of books with bad endings.

  “Victoria,” Jaden said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “You don’t need to see the distant future for us to trust in you as a leader.”

  “That’s it,” she said, gripping his hand. She was looking too far into the unknown. They needed to know what would keep them alive over the next few hours. Tomorrow was future Victoria’s problem. With that, she smiled and opened her eyes. “Boys?”

  Everyone jumped back and drew weapons as five gamlin popped out of the ground, shaking off dirt like dogs shake away water. Victoria couldn’t help but smile. The hedgehog/porcupine creatures were adorable and dangerous enough to core dragons. The gamlin saluted her, and she nodded in return.

  “Wow,” Nikkola said.

  “Aren’t they cute?” Alloria asked, clapping her hands.

  “How will they help us?” Jaden asked.

  “Yes,” General Mirot huffed as he rushed to them. “What’s the new plan?”

  “We’re going around that edge of the field,” Victoria said, pointing. “Some friends are waiting to help us, and the gamlin will get us the rest of the way. When we arrive, we’ll send up a signal. Our army will ride in, and hopefully, provide enough distraction that we can create a path from Angst to Prendere.”

  “That could work,” Mirot said.

  “Mirim,” Victoria said. “I want you to lead the zyn’ight as they charge in with the Unsel army.”

  “Yes, Your Highness,” she said with a polite bow.

  “Dallow, Rose, Jaden, and Nikkola,” she said, summoning a swifen. She picked up the smallest gamlin and handed it to Alloria. “Each of you take one, carefully—their quills are like razors. Alloria, you’ll ride with me. You’ll need to keep hold of the gamlin and the foci.”

  Each rider carefully placed a gamlin on their swifen before mounting.

  “I’m suddenly glad I’ve got armor,” Rose said as her gamlin settled back. She sat up straight. “Ready.”

  “As long as we aren’t riding down the cliff,” Dallow said, “I’m ready.”

  “Thank you,” Nikkola said, patting her gamlin on the head. “I can’t wait to see Kala.”

  “Ready, my queen,” Jaden said, proudly.

  “General,” Victoria said, facing Mirot. “Are our troops ready?”

  “They’d expected to charge in with you and Angst,” he said, tugging at his mustache. “They are ready, but—”

  “Let’s give them what they need,” Victoria said.

  “There are so many,” Victoria said, gripping the reins of her armored unic
orn tight.

  Thousands and thousands of strong men and women from Unsel stood at attention. They were squared off into companies a hundred strong, each commanded by a stalwart captain. Dividing the two halves of her army stood forty knights on their war horses. A dozen zyn’ight adorned with dusky armor stood apart from the others, though every bit as formal in their waiting.

  She didn’t need magic to sense everyone’s trepidation; the smell of sweat and steel permeated the air. Old eyes and young looked on with worry as the world went to war a spear throw away. This was a war no one had fought in recorded history, and they needed her words. Never had she felt so powerful and so frightened.

  “How will they hear me?” she asked.

  “Magic’s trick wasn’t so clever,” Dallow said. He whispered a few words in Acratic and placed a finger on her throat. “Unsel will hear you.”

  “Thank you,” she said.

  The older soldiers jumped at her words while the younger turned to gawk. Several captains shouts of, “Attention” faced them forward.

  With a wide-eyed nod to Dallow, she rode before the army of Unsel.

  “I said thank you,” she said, and all eyes turned to follow her. “Thank you for dying for Unsel. That’s right. You’re going to die. I’m going to die. But not today! We have never faced a battle like this. This war of giants and monsters that threaten Unsel and Ehrde is frightening. Every one of you is scared, and anyone who says otherwise is a liar. But you are heroes. A hero is someone who does the right thing even when they’re afraid. You wonder if you’ll be brave enough to face all of that. You will.”

  To her surprise, one man near the front shouted, “For Unsel!”

  “Many of you are wondering why we don’t race in after Angst. I didn’t bring you here to die. We are outnumbered and overpowered, and rushing in will only make us a part of the mob. My mother, our queen, once told me if you can’t be the strongest, you’d better be the smartest. I will not send you in to hunt the entire herd. You will go in like butchers and carve out the finest meat.”

  “For Unsel!” more soldiers cried.

  “Angst has to make it to that light, or it’s over for all of us. When you see the signal, ride hard and ride fierce. Charge forth with all your might and butcher that mob. You will give Angst the chance he needs.”

  “For Unsel!” everyone shouted, and her heart raced.

  “This is a place that won’t be seen again for generations. An event that only happens once every two thousand years. There will be stories about this day, and those stories will be about you. We have been a nation divided, of those who wield and those who don’t. This day we fight together and make a new story. One people. One Unsel.”

  “For Unsel!”

  “Angst is not the hero today. You are. I charge all of you to fight. I charge all of you to live. I charge all of you to win!”

  “For Unsel,” Mirot said, his voice as loud as hers.

  “For Unsel,” the army shouted.

  “For Queen Victoria,” Mirot said.

  “For the queen,” the army repeated.

  47

  Half a mile from his target, Angst glanced around the field to see lines of dust plumes avalanche down mountain paths as nations converged. Cavastil birds, gargoyles, and dark Berfemmian shot toward him like a thousand arrows. War was coming fast, and its cries were loud enough to hear through the rage that buzzed in his ears.

  Five hundred yards to go, and he could make out Tarness grappling with Magic, either trying to break free or merely trying to break the element. His powerful friend stood no chance, but hopefully he was angry enough to hold Magic off, because Angst was angry enough to end this.

  The first dark Berfemmian arrived when he was only three hundred yards away and bounced off his air shield like a rock thrown at a tree. Before she could recover, the long, steel beak of a cavastil bird punctured her chest. The bird opened its maw, splitting her in half. A second Berfemmian grabbed the bird’s head. She placed two feet against its wings and pulled until the head snapped off.

  Two hundred yards from Magic, Angst drew his swords. Tarness was alive and running toward him. Blood red waves of power cascaded from Magic’s arms, reaching for the big man. Chryslaenor and Dulgirgraut’s songs clashed as one blared warnings and the other begged for Angst to destroy the element. With Tarness free, all he had to do was rush past his friend, cut Magic’s head off, and rain the field with all the lightning he could summon.

  He made eye contact with Tarness only a hundred yards away. Anger and pain wracked his friend’s face, which was much better than dead. Angst flashed him a wild grin. Tarness leaped up with a roar and held out his arm, striking Angst in the chest. His ram swifen disappeared, and he cried out in pain as Tarness slammed him to the ground.

  Everything hurt but his eyes, which couldn’t seem to focus as his vision faded in and out. Tarness punched his chest again before pulling back and drawing a longsword. Angst blinked rapidly, desperately gasping for air. The swords forced power into him, but that wasn’t enough. Even casting a shield or a healing spell would take time, and he was still reeling from that attack. His best option was to talk his friend down.

  “Please,” he wheezed, holding out a hand. “Please, stop.”

  Tarness held the sword high overhead.

  “What are you doi—” Angst coughed, covering his chest piece in blood. “Let me kill Magic and save my family.”

  “I’m here to save my family, Angst,” Tarness said. “Maarja is pregnant, and I won’t give that up for anyone. Not even you.”

  “You’re not thinking clearly,” Angst said. “If Magic wins, he’ll destroy everything.”

  Tarness turned to look at the element, giving Angst a moment to heal. The spell was a bandage so weak that it had moth holes and was frayed at the edges. At least he could breathe, a little.

  “I command you to kill him,” Magic shouted.

  The ring on Tarness’s finger sparked, making the big man wince. Why wasn’t Magic attacking? As Tarness floundered with his fate, Angst looked about to see a dark shield overhead. The element was powerful enough to keep others from interfering, but not to attack him at the same time.

  “He’s using that ring to make you do this,” Angst said. “Magic is weak. You can fight him!”

  “I won’t let my family die,” Tarness roared, swinging down hard.

  They reached the base of the mountain and took to the field at full speed. Victoria led the charge as they raced forward, fast enough to make her eyes water. Now that Rose and Jormbrinder were on speaking terms, she had the knowledge to drive their swifen at stomach-clenching speed. What should’ve taken a harried forty-five minutes would now take ten without distraction. Like it would be that easy.

  Within minutes, a flock of cavastil birds dove at them. Rose released the swifen, and they abruptly slowed from a hummingbird sprint to a turtle crawl. The jarring transition was just enough, and the birds missed their target. They swooped around, giving everyone enough time to wield weapons.

  A dozen landed before them. They were ostrich-sized ravens with velvety purple wings and bright crimson chests. Thick, steel taloned legs and long beaks glistened in the light of the distant beam. A fan of feathers popped up from the bird’s necks, covered in eyes that blinked in unison.

  Nikkola let out a scream as she shot dark bolts from her hands. The attack blasted a hole in one cavastil bird, knocking the carcass into another. The others lifted, hovering several feet over the ground.

  “We can take them,” Jaden said. “Send the gamlin. They can drill right through them.”

  “We need to keep these gamlin alive,” Victoria said. “Nikkola, hold your attack. Help is coming.”

  “They better hurry,” Alloria said, holding the gamlin as tight as she could.

  Twenty Fulk’han men and women leaped from a rocky outcrop, making everyone rear back in surprise. The gray men and colorful women tackled the cavastil birds, wrestling them far away from their path.
A young woman with pale blue skin rushed over.

  “Are you Teesha?” Victoria asked.

  “I am,” she said, her long tail flicking back and forth. “We fight for Angst. We fight for Ehrde. Now go.” And with that, she let out a trilling scream, launched into the air and landed on the back of a cavastil bird.

  “Ride,” Victoria commanded.

  Time seemed to slow as Victoria sought their next attackers. It felt like she was juggling in a hurricane. Not only was she riding with Alloria and their gamlin, but she was leading because she’d seen this future. She had to focus on what would happen next, and when. The hairs on her arms rose, and she knew it was time.

  “Rose, stop,” she shouted, rearing back her unicorn. “Dallow, Jaden, shield.”

  A furnace blast of dragonfire slammed against the air shield. They coughed as the air became too hot to breathe. An enormous dragon landed before them, shaking the ground on impact. While smaller than the mother-of-all-dragons, this was no whelpling. It’s diamond-shaped head lifted, revealing a mouth large enough to scoop up the six of them and the ground they stood on. A thick armor of red scales covered the wyrm. The battle-weary monster glared at them with one fierce golden eye, the other deeply scarred and leaking dribbles of lava.

  “I can’t deflect another blast,” Dallow shouted. “Not from that thing.”

  “You won’t have to,” a tribesman said, landing before them. He lifted his double-bladed staff and pointed it at the dragon. “End this creature.”

  A dozen perfectly sculpted dark-skinned men attacked the dragons with their staudouf. Each attack landing at a different point, striking joints with clinical precision. The dragon stumbled as lava poured from every wound. It attempted to draw in air, only to roar in pain as a staff went through its good eye. In unison, the tribesmen leaped from the beast and began yelling, drawing it away from their path.

  “Tell Angst that SMyket and his tribe are with him,” the man said. “Now go!”