Soldiers of the Heavens

by Stephen L. Nowland

  “Intervention,” Pacian muttered angrily. “You said it yourself — tragedy is the way of the world. If you have the power to intervene, why choose now? Why not the Battle of Highmarch? Plenty of people died there. What about the fall of Sohcareb, centuries ago? An entire city of people, burned to ash in a heartbeat. Where was your bloody intervention then?”

  “There is thine anger again, Pacian. Thou must let go of hatred if thou wishes to continue on the path to enlightenment. As to thy point, we are limited by the available vessels, for the people of Sohcareb were distracted by material pursuits and thus, few were sufficiently open to our aid. So too are we constrained in travel to the Materium. Once a century, that is the limit for a disciple of Kylaris. Our numbers are few, so our interventions must needs be scrupulously considered. Our enemies know this, and create conflict to draw us out. Sohcareb was a perfect storm of prior engagements, leaving none free to intervene in the destruction of that jewelled city.”

  “But not this time,” Benedictum assured them, his voice increasing in power. “The lost peoples thou face in their sky fortress have failed to distract us sufficiently with minor conflict. This time, their undoing is certain. Even now their fel sky weapon positions itself to strike down the lands of Aielund and while thy means of transit have been limited, they are not yet severed completely. This oversight shall be their undoing.”

  Terinus mentioned he couldn't get us into the Akashic Throne through his portal, or anyone else's for that matter, Sayana pointed out. Is this incorrect?

  “It is correct to the limits of his knowledge,” Benedictum corrected. “Portals such as these leave distinct traces, paths through the Aether that we can sense. Sa'quaarin, as thou refer to them, hast blocked access to all linked portals, yet one refuses to heed their call. A place once known as Abraxas contains such a portal beyond the influence of anyone outside of that blighted world. A clever person, with knowledge and surpassing wit could reach it. With the proper application of intelligence, it can be made functional to thy needs, linking to this 'Akashic Throne' and granting access.”

  “A blighted world?” Nellise pondered. “I find it curious a device as this exists in such a place.

  “Once, it was a great beacon of knowledge,” Benedictum lamented. “Tragic was their fall from grace. Pacts were made with abhorrent creatures of the lower planes, who naturally turned against them years later. Through high magic and advanced sciences, material vessels were created for them so they might walk the worlds of the Materium.”

  “Bestial creatures?” Nellise asked with dread. “Tall and demonic in appearance?”

  “Just so,” Benedictum confirmed. “Thou hast confronted them before, I see.”

  “The world you speak of… I had the unfortunate experience of visiting briefly. I barely escaped with my life, and that of Criosa Roebec. You would have us journey there again?”

  “If access to the Akashic Throne is what thou seek,” Benedictum responded. “The portal on Abraxas is no longer under control of thine enemies, for it was adjusted to open unto places never intended in its design. This is thine only way forward, child. So sayeth Divine Kylaris.” Sayana and her two companions were silent in thought, recalling the desperate fight to close a portal just like the one described in the ancient city of Acadia.

  The tall, demonic-looking creatures were incredibly powerful, and would pose a real threat for the duration on Abraxas. More than that, they would likely transit from one battle straight into another without pause, as they sought to end the threat of sa'quaarin retribution. Nellise's expression was haunted, a sure sign of her reluctance to return to that world.

  “From what you describe,” she eventually said to the celestial entity, “the world lies in ruins and the portal itself could be damaged. Terinus may be able to affect repairs, but we will need to hold it against any incursions while he does. We are mighty, but few in number.”

  “What about the escardi?” Pacian asked. “They owe us for saving them from that frozen rock they were living on.”

  “A few of them might help, if asked,” Nellise responded, “but so many of them were wounded or sick from long years of rough living. We cannot ask them to sacrifice themselves for this.”

  “Well, we can ask, or we can ask, if you know what I mean,” Pacian hinted.

  “Regrettably, I do,” Nellise muttered.

  “If assistance is what thou require, that is what thou shalt receive,” Benedictum declared. “I will personally offer mine aid to hold the portal. I have not travelled the Materium for centuries untold, and I wouldst aid thee in this desperate hour.”

  “Don't you need a vessel to do that?” Pacian pointed out.

  “I do, and when the time comes, I shall arrange for one. There is one other offer I can make to thee, Nellise. Thou art a child of Kylaris in more ways than one, and though thou hast been brought here prematurely, a tremendous gift can yet be given to thee.”

  “What do you mean?” Nellise asked curiously.

  “You have dedicated yourself to the teachings of Kylaris,” Caedmus explained, “and your trials over the last few years have fortified your resolve. As the daughter of a former vessel, you are more than ready to transcend your mortal form. Did you not suspect this when the being you knew as Solas Aingeal possessed you for a short time during the Battle of Highmarch? If your mortal form were to perish, you would surely join us here in Assumption.”

  “Wait, you want me to die and become like you?” Nellise asked incredulously.

  “No, there is another way,” Caedmus replied. “Your mortal form still lives, so you would inhabit it as your own personal vessel for the duration of its existence. You would become, in effect, an earth angel, able to speak for Kylaris directly and guide the Church of Aielund back onto its rightful path. This may, in some small fashion, make up for the lack of a father figure during your formative years. In essence, I am granting you the only gift I can — ascendance.”

  “I... this is a generous offer indeed,” Nellise breathed, taken aback at what she was hearing. She glanced at Pacian, who looked back at her with an unreadable expression, awaiting her response.

  “I sense thy hesitation,” Benedictum observed. “This would not alter who thou art. Thou wouldst become something greater, more refined and able to carry out thy will upon the Materium.”

  “But angels are not men,” Pacian pointed out. “You don't have free will, only the will of God, yes?”

  “Thy studies serve thee well,” Benedictum remarked, still looking to Nellise for her answer.

  “Think about this,” Pacian whispered to Nellise, probably unaware that everything he said could be easily heard. “You will never be the same again.”

  “Dear Pacian, I suspect you worry I’m going away forever, but that’s far from the truth. Think of the state the Church is in, and what I could achieve with this blessing,” Nellise replied excitedly, touching the side of his face fondly. Their eyes met and for a heartbeat, all the pain and misfortune the two lovers had endured seemed to vanish. She then turned to Benedictum and spoke with confidence. “I accept, not for me, but for the betterment of mankind and the other races, and because with what is to come, I suspect we need all the help we can get.”

  “Thou art welcomed into the ranks of the Seraphim,” Benedictum intoned as his signature of energy surged. The light from his form grew with intensity, and while Pacian and Sayana were forced to hold up their hands to protect their eyes from the intensity, Nellise walked slowly towards the radiance. The nimbus of light from her grew until Sayana could no longer see the surrounding walls of the Concordance, only clouds and light.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Aiden leaned back in his chair next to the glowing radiance of the portal, staring up at the ceiling of the laboratory. He was still trying to shake the horrid feeling left after the psychic assault on his mind, and found the solid appearance of the ceiling above quite reassuring. There were no glowing eyes staring back down from the heavens, only the dar
k stone of the Black Tower.

  Looking to pass the interminable minutes, he glanced around the room and noticed a tall, dark wooden cabinet against the wall. He had seen it within his nightmarish vision, dripping with blood. Aiden had thought it was just another twisted image within his mind, but there it stood, real as can be. He stood and sauntered over to it, making sure Terinus and Robert weren't paying attention as he tested the handle with a firm push.

  It was locked, and the mechanism seemed quite solid. He would probably be able to break it using his gauntlet for strength, though it occurred to him it might be locked for good reason. Aiden might not be able to acquire the key without alerting someone else to his interest. Giving up for the moment, he strolled slowly back to his chair and sat, disappointed but refusing to surrender. Something important lay within that cabinet and he was determined to find out what it was.

  As he leaned back in his chair once more, he briefly adjusted the metal circlet upon his brow, finding it somewhat uncomfortable against his skin despite the fact it had saved his life.

  “Quit fiddling with that thing or they'll melt your brain,” Robert advised from across the room, a puff of smoke wafting from his mouth as he spoke.

  “Yes, but that doesn't make it any more comfortable,” Aiden responded dourly. “And honestly? You need to stop smoking those things.”

  “It helps me relax.”

  “Tell that to your lungs,” Aiden warned, drawing an ambivalent shrug from the mercenary.

  “Some bizarre-looking ancient monsters are supposed to be vaporising us at any moment now. I figured I'd go out with a smile on my face and Sy isn't here right now. Where are these monsters of yours, Terry? I don't have all day you know.” Terinus paced back and forth before the control devices, muttering curses under his breath, for they told him nothing about what was happening beyond the tower.

  “I anticipated a delay while the orbital lance is brought to bear,” he rasped tersely in reply. “With my instruments blocked there is little I can do to verify this. Their assault against Aiden and the meddling with my devices strongly indicate a retributive strike is pending. More than that, I cannot say. The delay is interminable and our allies have yet to return. Every minute we wait brings us closer to discovering the plans of my former masters in the worst possible manner.”

  “They should just get on with it, yeah?” Robert mocked, drawing a withering glance from the wizard.

  “Settle down, both of you,” Aiden ordered. “We need to give Nel a little more time before we give up completely.”

  “The delay could cost us everything,” Terinus pointed out gravely.

  “Do you really believe the three of us can win this?” Aiden shot back. “I'm not even sure all six of us can get it done, but I'll take six over three any day. Let's not forget we have no way of getting to that bloody fort in the sky, either.”

  Terinus was about to reply when there was a shift in the glowing white curtain of the portal. Pacian emerged, appearing thoughtful as he nodded to Aiden on his way past.

  “About time,” Robert greeted him gruffly.

  “We got caught up in the moment,” Pacian explained cryptically.

  “Tell me what happened,” Terinus asked him with intense curiosity. “Was it a place of pure energy, or was there land upon which to walk?”

  “Perhaps one of the others would be better able to answer that,” Pacian muttered distractedly. As if on cue Sayana, shimmering with brilliant blue light, levitated through the portal. Her hair seemed to dance around her of its own accord, and her eyes shone with such brilliant intensity Aiden couldn't look at them directly. Robert tossed aside the stump of his cigar and hurried forward, a look of concern on his face.

  “Are you alright?” he asked, squinting against her brilliance. “Is all this supposed to be happening?”

  All is well,” she assured him. The realm we visited was an astonishing source of energy. I am holding on to it for later use. Robert gingerly reached out, touched her hand and was visibly relieved when he wasn't burnt or otherwise harmed from the contact. She smiled patiently at him and they came together for a gentle embrace.

  Nellise appeared through the portal just behind the sorceress, serene and radiant but otherwise unchanged. Immediately after she emerged, the shimmering curtain of light vanished, leaving the room illuminated only by its mundane sources of light.

  “Another minute and I was going to abandon you in whatever place you had found yourselves in,” Terinus said in a measured voice. “I am, however, deeply curious about your experience in that strange realm.”

  “If you were truly interested, you would have stepped through the portal,” Nellise suggested. She gazed at Terinus without flinching, her golden eyes carrying a kind of weight they’d never had before. “I have received the knowledge we need to continue with our mission. Know that our success is of great importance to the powers who granted me this information, and we should move ahead without delay. Adjust your portal to take us to the world of Abraxas.”

  Terinus hesitated a moment before inclining his head slightly and turned to make the necessary adjustments to the controls.

  “The powers who imparted this knowledge must have known what they were asking,” he remarked. “Abraxas is a blighted world, abandoned for centuries and held by the embodiment of evil.”

  “I am well aware of this, as are my benefactors,” Nellise confirmed. “We shall receive aid for the duration of our brief stay.”

  “And what is the nature of this 'aid'?” Terinus inquired with a hint of mistrust.

  “The kind we need,” Nellise answered obliquely.

  “Did God open the door for you?” Robert asked. He was mocking her again, but didn't sound quite as sure of himself as before.

  “It was an old and dear friend,” Nellise explained simply with a wistful smile. There was something different about her, a steely resolve which hadn't been there prior to her departure through the portal. Nothing else about her outward appearance hinted at the change, so Aiden adjusted his vision through force of will and as the colours of the room shifted, they settled upon a familiar blue-black tone which highlighted something remarkable.

  Nellise's body seemed to have the same properties as everyone else, but an aura of golden light surrounded her, invisible to the naked eye. It followed her like a ghost when she moved past, leaving a trail of light in her wake. Sayana too glowed with similar luminescence, but in her case, it seemed to be suffusing her form, whereas Nellise's body appeared to be directed by the energies around her, as if controlling her somehow. It was a subtle distinction Aiden did not fully understand.

  Releasing his vision to return to the visible spectrum, he noticed Robert and Sayana sharing a kiss that made the mercenary's cropped hair stand on end. It was quite a turnaround from the near-hostility they had shared for the past few days, and despite knowing better, Aiden couldn't help but pry.

  “I see you two have put your differences aside,” he remarked as he approached.

  “Yeah, well, we had a long talk about that,” Robert conceded as he gave the diminutive young woman a crushing hug, which made her squeal with delight. “We discussed everything we'd kept from each other over the years, the little secrets and the reasons why, and then we both agreed I was being an idiot.”

  “Is that so?” Aiden asked without giving away his agreement on this fact. “Honestly, I’ve wondered for years what you see in each other.”

  “She’s genuine,” Robert answered simply. “I’ve met a lot of women over the years, all so busy dancing around, trying to pretend to be what they aren’t, it gives me a headache. Sy grew up away from towns and cities, and that’s given her a streak of honesty she can’t hide. You’ve no idea how refreshing that is.”

  I found the same in Robert, Sayana added. A man who has known love and been betrayed by it, time and again, as if he expected the world to be a certain way, yet found it lacking. I’ve been chipping away at his cynicism for a while now but he’s a stub
born one.

  “I have issues, I'll be the first to admit it,” Robert admitted. “I sometimes let my imagination get carried away and start thinking the worst of people unless informed otherwise. Sy has her own problems and we'll never get past them if we don't communicate. I won't let that happen again, I promise.”

  I might never become a normal person, Sayana confided, but it makes things easier if I have just one person understand me as well as he does.

  “I know what you mean,” Aiden said with a wistful smile as his thoughts turned to Criosa.

  “Plus, the sex is amazing,” Robert added, quickly receiving a shocked look and a slap from Sayana.

  “Enough horseplay you two,” Nellise chastised them both. “We need to be ready to move in a few minutes if we are to take advantage of this window of opportunity. Everyone, please gather your equipment.”

  “Someone's taking charge,” Robert remarked pointedly as Nellise left the lab to find her gear. “What happened to you in there?”

  That is a story for another time, Sayana whispered.

  “Fine, I'll get it out of you sooner or later. Now come help an old man put his armour on.” They headed for their chambers, passing a rather harried looking Lucas and Saffron, who were on their way in with refreshments.

  “Sorry we're a bit late with the food,” Lucas apologised to those remaining. “We've been up to our elbows in blood and guts, don'tcha know? I... wait, did I wash me ‘ands before making all this?”

  “I told you to wash ‘em again just in case,” Saffron pointed out.

  “I must ‘ave done,” Lucas muttered, “I don't see blood all over the place for starters. I'm sure it'll be right, you lot tuck in as ya need.” Aiden gingerly picked up a small triangle of sandwich as he went past, inspecting it closely before taking a bite. He might prattle on incessantly, but Lucas certainly knew how to prepare delicious food.

  As he began donning his equipment, Aiden noticed Pacian sitting alone across from the portal. He seemed pensive and thoughtful, prompting Aiden to wonder just what he'd experienced on the other side. The cryptic serenity of the others was grating and it was time for some answers.