Soldiers of the Heavens

by Stephen L. Nowland

  It doesn't change who I am inside, Sayana reminded him. I'm not going to leave you.

  “Well... we'll see,” Robert said, putting up his walls again. Sayana hid her disappointment as she realised mending their differences wasn't going to happen without more work. They separated when they arrived in the dining room which had been repurposed into a triage centre. The diminutive Saffron was busy attending to the dozen or so men and women lying upon blankets spread over the floor.

  Nellise, free from the confines of her armour, went about helping where she could, although without rest she was unable to channel the healing energies which would speed their recovery. Instead, she applied poultices to wounds left after the shafts of broken arrows were painfully removed.

  Jenovia was performing the same task on the other side of the room, but as Sayana's enhanced sight returned, she could tell the Marshal was applying spiritual energies in the process, a curious form of healing the sorceress had never before witnessed.

  “How's everything going in here, then?” Robert asked the entire room. Sayana sent out his meaning in very basic terms for the minds of everyone to understand.

  “Ah, we are able to communicate again,” Jenovia exclaimed. “I believe everyone here will survive, thanks to your efforts. I never thought we would leave that frozen hell in my lifetime. Thank you again.”

  “It was not the purpose of our visit to Placidus,” Terinus replied, “merely a fortunate coincidence.”

  “Why did you come?” Jenovia inquired curiously.

  “We sought powerful relics and weaponry to fight our enemy,” Aiden answered. “The same people who likely had a hand in that world's destruction threaten our home with a similar fate. Instead of finding what we came for, we were lucky to get out of there at all. I mean, you're welcome, but we have nothing to show for it.”

  Not true, Sayana interjected. While I was in the city, I saw a workbench laden with curious objects. I swept them into a sack and brought them along.

  “What? Where?” Aiden asked. “You didn't leave them behind, did you?”

  You will find them in the laboratory.

  It was all Aiden needed to hear. He made for the door with an eager expression. She smiled faintly at his boyish enthusiasm for dangerous relics, but knew a strong part of his desire came from a need for power instilled by the spirit of the dragon, Salinder. Sayana only hoped it served a purpose beyond her ability to foresee.

  She carefully made her way across the room, making sure her boots didn't mistakenly come into contact with anyone lying underfoot. When Sayana reached Nellise, the cleric paused in her task for a moment and smiled at the sorceress.

  “It's good to see you on your feet again, so to speak,” Nellise said quietly as they embraced. Sayana felt genuine relief at not only her friend's health, but the tacit acceptance of her change. The estrangement she had felt for the past few days eased, if only a little.

  You almost became a permanent part of the scenery back on Placidus.

  “Someone had to hold back those creatures,” Nellise remarked. “Everyone else seemed a little busy at the time. Besides, it all worked out for the best.”

  “You're welcome,” Pacian interjected, a reminder of his role in saving her life.

  “Why don't you help out around here?” she responded with a raised eyebrow.

  “I'm recovering from my many acts of heroism,” Pacian remarked blandly. Nellise gave him a wan smile, then continued treating her patient, surprisingly tolerant of his attitude.

  “As you wish. I’ve something on my mind at the moment. Terinus, I want to know more about the sa'quaarin. I must learn what they hope to gain through the subjugation and destruction of entire worlds. The logic defies understanding.” The wizard had idly watched the proceedings as he sat in a dining chair in the corner of the room.

  “You undoubtedly noticed the craters and gouges upon the surface of Placidus,” Terinus answered in his ancient voice. “There are places on our own world of Aeos which bear similar scars of industry, particularly near the ruins of Sohcareb. They are the remains of open-cut mines, remnants of the sa'quaarin’s hunger for rare minerals such as vythir. The dwarven city of Ferrumgaard is another example of their philosophy of wanton destruction.”

  “Hang on,” Pacian interrupted, “we found out one of the dwarven families was responsible for that. The MacAliese clan, I think it was. Mad buggers, every one.”

  “And what do you think caused this sudden outbreak of insanity?” Terinus challenged with rising ire. “Do you truly think hundreds can suffer the same rare ailment by sheer happenstance? It was engineered, Mister Savidge, to clear the mine of unwanted vermin and allow the excavation of vythir to continue.”

  “Did you have a hand engineering this madness?” Pacian responded with deadly calm. Terinus rose to his feet without taking his eyes from the former ascetic.

  “Gentlemen, please remain calm,” Nellise interjected, showcasing her ability to juggle multiple tasks. “We are trying to remedy past indiscretions here, something both of you should be well aware of.”

  “Then perhaps you should clarify your point,” Terinus rasped in a tight voice, still locked in a staring contest with Pacian.

  “Clearly these sa'quaarin are supremely intelligent, far in advance of our most learned scholars and institutions,” she explained as she finished wrapping a bandage around a wound leg. “Intelligent life can't be so intrinsically bent and twisted, it is counterproductive to the advance of civilisation.”

  “What?” Robert asked in disbelief.

  “Barbarism and savagery are the hallmarks of a primitive society. History has shown us that as civilisation advances, the urge to pillage and rampage diminishes, to be replaced with more rational, enlightened concerns. It is the way of things. This is why I have difficulty believing these otherworldly monsters of yours are truly as bad as you say.”

  “Is the evidence left from centuries of destruction insufficient to sway you?” Terinus asked in disbelief. “Are you blind to the events you have witnessed with your own eyes?”

  “It is not their actions I question, but their motives,” Nellise clarified. “Given their intelligence, I do wonder about the reason for such decisions.”

  “You think they do so out of necessity? Out of self-preservation perhaps? Even if that were true, given the lives of the people of this world have been as playthings to them for years untold, do you think anything could justify such bloodshed?”

  “All I know is if we push back against them with violence and equal levels of destruction, we risk forcing them to harden their resolve and simply respond with more of the same. I wish to open a dialogue with them, that I might at least understand their motives and perhaps even come to an understanding.”

  The wizard's intense glare had long abandoned Pacian as its target. Sayana had ceased translating for the wounded escardi, who now sat back watching the exchange with great discomfort. Terinus stared at Nellise in astonishment, the tension in the room building with each heartbeat before he began to speak with the intensity of a rising storm.

  “I have regaled you with stories of their perfidy and shown you cataclysmic sights lost to living memory, all of which are both true and real. I have neither exaggerated nor fabricated any part of my account, for the reality needs no embellishment. So, when I explain to you that our enemy has no interest in speaking with creatures deemed so far beneath them, they are considered little more than animals, know that I speak the truth.

  “For thousands of years, this world has been under their influence, and despite the best efforts of civilisations far more advanced than Aielund, the sa'quaarin continue to topple kingdoms with the merest gesture.” Terinus' voice had risen in volume and power to drive his point home, something only Sayana could see was being enhanced by subtle magic.

  “Should you find yourself face to face with such a being, with the intent of opening a dialogue you will — at best — be killed on sight, if you are supremely lucky. It is far mor
e likely they will wrap your soul around their fingers and make you their puppet, so you can watch as you end the lives of thousands at their bidding. They do not compromise, they do not retreat and they will never surrender.

  “We are mere animals to them, 'lesser beings' to be swept away when we become a problem. Their only real interest is in the continued domination of this world, and to eradicate all knowledge of their existence from the minds of mortals, even if whole civilisations must collapse to achieve this end.

  “Greater minds than yours have contemplated how to remove their threat, and I guarantee you the idea of peace was considered more than once. Yet here we stand, thousands of years later, and still the manipulation of empires continues. It has to end, and there is only one way to end it. Some monsters need to be killed, Nellise. There is no other way. Pacian understands this better than any of you.”

  They turned to see Pacian looking back at Terinus with an empty gaze. Clearly the wizard was attempting to recruit him to help persuade Nellise. Pacian had said words to this same effect in the past, but his reaction was not what anyone had anticipated.

  “Some monsters need to be killed,” he repeated quietly. “Is that how I used to sound? Do I still sound like that? So much anger... I look at you Terinus and see a reflection of myself, and I don't like it. I spoke those words years ago and they ruined my life. I... just don't know.”

  “You will find no allies here in your quest for vengeance,” Nellise remarked, having somehow maintained her calm demeanour in the face of the wizard's outrage. “We act for the continued safety of the realm, not a personal vendetta. I can see the long years of servitude has taken its toll on your perspective, sir. You are unable to break free and see new possibilities, so I will keep my own counsel on this matter in future.”

  “So long as you do nothing to jeopardise the mission, you may do as you wish,” Terinus rasped ominously, turning to stalk out of the room.

  “That probably wasn't the sort of thing to be discussing after missing a night of sleep,” Nellise sighed, wilting into a nearby chair. “Tempers are short, minds are cloudy. I'm not certain anything was achieved.”

  “Maybe,” Robert coughed, “but you comported yourself like royalty just now. If he'd been talking to me like that, my fist would have had an intimate moment with his face.”

  Royalty, Sayana murmured to herself, suddenly recalling she hadn't checked on Criosa since taking her to Fairloch. Feeling somewhat more energetic, she opened a window to the city within her mind and peered through. The sorceress recalled Criosa’s aura, the play of energy unique to one particular being, but she couldn't sense it near the senate building.

  Curious, she used the memory of that aura to track her friend down, much like a bloodhound follows its prey. Sayana's inner sight was drawn to a dark place below ground, and within moments she could see a bedraggled Criosa, manacled and sitting on a plain bed within a cell.

  Criosa's been imprisoned! Sayana gasped, drawing everyone's attention, including the escardi who understood everything she had said.

  “What?” Robert said yet again, but received no response. Sayana rushed to his side and grasped him by the arm. She transformed the window within her mind into a doorway and pulled the mercenary along through the Aether.

  The change in atmosphere became apparent the moment they appeared in the confines of the small cell. Moisture hung in the dank air, and although Sayana recalled moving through the dungeons of Fairloch's castle, this space didn't have the same feel to it. Criosa appeared startled by their sudden arrival, sitting up in her bed to greet them. Her hair was dishevelled and her hands bruised and bloodied from the manacles she wore.

  “Finally,” she sighed, “I've been waiting for rescue for some time now.”

  My apologies, Your Majesty, Sayana answered. We have been travelling of late and only returned a short time ago.

  “What is this, a holding cell for the City Watch?” Robert grunted, looking at their surroundings.

  Yes honey, try to keep up, Sayana answered. Criosa, what happened?

  “Operatives from the inquisition saw the two of us together and assumed the worst, I'm afraid,” Criosa said, confirming Sayana's fears. “Not that they're wrong, mind you, I have most certainly been associating with a sorcerer. Just not in the way they think. They've been trying to discover your location ever since. I refused to talk, of course, but they have been most persistent.”

  “We're getting you out of here,” Sayana said aloud. She grasped Criosa's wrist as well as Robert's and went to create the aperture to whisk them back to the tower.

  Nothing happened.

  “What are you waiting for?” Robert asked curiously. Sayana felt very strange, as if she was being smothered. The feeling had begun just as she went to invoke a portal, and persisted even now. She tried to draw in more energy from the surrounding air but it had no effect on her energies.

  “Something's wrong,” she whispered aloud, trying to figure out why she couldn't use her power. It was the first time she could ever recall feeling relatively normal, and it was disconcerting to say the least.

  “Sy, your eyes have stopped glowing again,” Robert remarked cautiously. “You've gone and pushed yourself too hard, haven't you. Dammit woman, you've gotta learn —”

  “Hush,” Sayana hissed, looking around. She had already figured out it wasn't an internal problem with herself, but rather an outside force suppressing her ability. She glanced at Criosa and stared when she noticed the princess and future Queen of Aielund was smiling.

  “Company,” Robert growled as he looked out through the cell's bars, drawing Aeon Invictus from its sheath and readying his large shield. The sounds of heavy, booted feet on the flagstones could be heard approaching rapidly. “Can you get us out of here or not?”

  “There is a powerful null-magic field enveloping the area.”

  “What the hell does that mean?” he snarled.

  “It means we're stuck, this is a trap, and this isn't Criosa,” Sayana replied evenly. The visage of Criosa shifted before their eyes until they were looking at a completely different woman with dark hair, dark eyes, and an assortment of weapons on her armoured body.

  The clanking of heavy chains could be heard as the barred cell door elevated into the ceiling and five armoured inquisitors entered the room. Robert fell back and pulled Sayana behind him as they crowded into the cell. The point of his weapon kept anyone from getting too close.

  “We were wondering if you were ever going to show up, Sayana Arai,” the mysterious woman answered with an arch voice.

  “Where is Criosa?” Sayana demanded.

  “Quite safe, and very well guarded,” the inquisitor replied. “She is comfortable, if a little put-out at the inconvenience.”

  “That's something, anyway,” Sayana remarked. “What are your intentions?”

  “To eliminate the threat of a powerful sorcerer, of course,” the inquisitor answered plainly. “I should have thought it would have been obvious from the outset. It takes considerable effort to evaporate the energy from an area completely, and also aim the effect just right so as not to disturb my illusionary disguise, which is thankfully no longer needed. So yes, we have gone to a lot of trouble to get you here and make sure your abilities have been neutralised.”

  “Wait a moment,” Robert interjected. “Are you saying you've locked yourselves in here with us, and nobody has any magic at all?”

  “That is correct, commander,” the inquisitor confirmed. “Having seen the power Sayana can wield, we decided not to take any risks.” Robert didn't answer. He did, however, slowly grin at the woman in a way the inquisitor found most unsettling. Only Sayana knew what he was smiling about.

  They had no idea what was about to hit them.

  Robert slammed his shield into the warhammer of his nearest opponent, and brought Aeon Invictus down in a cleaving strike that sliced right through the inquisitor’s armour, through bone and flesh, and dropped the surprised man in one blow. Even
in a null-magic field, the mercenary's ancient weapon was still the deadliest blade ever created.

  His reverse stroke brought the sword across the chest of the next inquisitor, who had recovered from his momentary surprise and raised the haft of his warhammer to block the blow. Robert didn't have enough force behind the stroke to cleave it in two, but he did have the presence of mind to kick his opponent backwards.

  Two other inquisitors waded in, sweeping their warhammers in overhead blows to make use of the limited space afforded by the cramped cell. Robert intercepted one blow with his shield and took the other on his armour. The heavy blow pushed him back into Sayana but the vythiric plate didn’t show a scratch from the impact.

  They traded blows for a few moments, with Sayana struggling to keep Robert's armoured body between her and the enemy. He made sure to keep her covered with his shield while fending off their attacks. Neither of the two men facing him were novices to battle, but they simply couldn't get through the mercenary's expert defences and invulnerable shield.

  When one of them overextended his strike, Robert slammed his shield into the man's face and took his head from his shoulders. He continued the stroke in a wide arc, hardly slowed by the impact with the inquisitor's neck, and cut a wide gash across the head of the man next to him. The sword cut through the chain coif covering his head, causing a fountain of blood to flow into the inquisitor's eyes.

  Blinded and caught off guard, he had the presence of mind to raise his warhammer in an attempt to parry any further attacks, but he never saw the killing blow as Robert brought his blade in a sweeping overhead stroke that sundered the warhammer in two, cleaved his armour and shattered his ribcage on the way down.

  While this was taking place right in front of Sayana, her mind was focused on trying to break through the source of the block. She could practically feel the minds of four priests just outside the room, each of them chanting a prayer to keep the area clear of energy. Sayana tried to draw more into her body, but the attempt was quickly stifled by one of the priests. The sorceress didn't stop, however, and continued to suck power from a larger and larger area, straining the priests' resolve.