“I hope this counts,” Pacian whispered to Nellise. Suddenly, his hands — free of the manacles — shot out from behind his back, grasped the sa'quaarin's head and with a violent twist, broke its neck. The creature's limp body dropped to the floor, drawing the immediate attention of the other two. Sayana felt their shock at the demise of their companion as they stood paralysed with indecision.
Pacian sprang from the wall and twisted into a cartwheel, bringing him closer to their equipment piled in the corner. One of the sa'quaarin snapped out of its fugue and unleashed a blast of psychic energy, the power of which Sayana could feel from yards away. Pacian gritted his teeth as one hand landed on the hilt of the vythiric scythe. He grasped hold of the weapon as he landed on his feet and swept the blade in a wide arc, decapitating one of the remaining captors. Its lifeless form toppled to the floor in a spreading pool of blood.
Weaving unsteadily on his feet, Pacian was on the receiving end of a formidable psychic attack. He let out a ragged cry and fell to his knees as the final guard stood over him, cruelly crushing the life out of him through sheer force of will. Sayana saw their chance to escape slip away moment by moment, and there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it.
“Pace!” Nellise screamed, flailing at her restraints in futility. The sa'quaarin stood over him, evidently taking some grim satisfaction at bringing down the upstart “cattle”, when Pacian let out an inarticulate cry. He rose to his feet in mindless fury and with both hands on the hilt of his weapon, drove it straight through the chest of his enemy.
With a look in its eyes that could only be described as surprise, it grasped the weapon with spindly fingers in a vain attempt to pull it free, then coughed a cloud of blood into the air and collapsed to the floor. Pacian stood for a moment in a daze, then fell on top of his enemy's corpse.
“Pace, get the key!” Nellise called in a frenzy, all signs of her previously calm demeanour gone. Pacian's hand moved slowly towards the sa'quaarin’s belt and fumbled around for the key. His breathing was shallow and he was otherwise perfectly still. Sayana winced as she saw blood running from his ears, mingling with that of his fallen enemy's. Whatever they had used on him left a terrible injury, and he didn't have much time before it became fatal.
He grabbed onto the key, and Pacian began to crawl towards the captives, dragging his body along the ground, leaving a trail of blood in his wake. His progress was achingly slow, and within Sayana's mind she could sense the growing alarm at the silence of the three sa'quaarin. On some level, they were all connected, and through the constant background noise some were noticing the absence.
“Pace, hurry,” she urged, “They'll know what happened within moments.”
“Toss me the key and I can heal you,” Nellise added encouragingly.
“You can do it, Pace, just keep moving,” Aiden said in support, though none of their advice helped him move any faster. The gravely wounded man raised his head a little, causing Nellise to gasp as they saw blood streaming from his nose and eye sockets. His skin was as pale as ice. Reaching into whatever reserves he had remaining, Pacian heaved the key in their direction and then with a sigh, he collapsed and stopped moving altogether.
The key fell just short of Sayana's position. She shifted around and tried to reach the key with her foot, and with a little bit of a stretch, managed to snag it with her toes.
“Hold on Pace,” Nellise cried, trying to keep her composure. He did not respond. “Sy, hurry.”
“I'm trying,” she snapped, focused upon the monumental task of lifting the key to her hands using only one foot. With forced patience, she gradually lifted the key higher and higher, then dropped it into her hands. The others breathed a collective sigh of relief as the sorceress quickly undid the manacles and felt the oppressive restraints lift. Energy flowed through her body once more, just as the door opened and a sa'quaarin stood before them taking in the grisly scene.
Sayana immediately reached out to the mind of the creature and blanketed it with a psychic scream, effectively preventing it from communicating its findings with the others. She then reached out a hand toward the hilt of Pacian's scythe and pulled it towards her with the power of her will. It flew through the air and landed in her grasp, just as the sa'quaarin lunged for her.
With her heart pounding, she rolled to her side as its gauntlet, thrumming with power, slammed into the wall. Sayana regained her footing and plunged the tip of the scythe into its chest. It let out a shriek of agony and fell to the floor, dead within moments.
“Sy, unlock me!” Nellise cried, snapping her out of her reverie. Sayana swooned as she stood, feeling a wave of dizziness wash over her. Smoke wafted from her body as more of the tattoos evaporated from her skin. Ignoring this as best as she could, Sayana unlocked the manacles and chains holding Nellise to the wall and proceeded to unlock the others one by one, while the cleric rushed to Pacian's side to examine him quickly.
“Thanks baby, you were amazing,” Robert whispered to Sayana as she unlocked him. She gave him a quick kiss before moving on to Terinus, who wasted no time heading to his equipment in the corner.
“Is he okay?” Aiden asked of Nellise, who methodically checked Pacian's vital signs.
“He's gone,” she replied with a broken voice. Everyone paused despite the gravity of their situation, at the thought of one of their number dead. Pacian had never been truly loved by anyone except Nellise, but they all respected his contributions to their cause, even if his ethics were often dubious.
“Hell of a way to go out,” Robert remarked as he took Pacian's bracers and attached them to his wrists. “You can mourn him later, Nel. We have to finish this first.”
“I can bring him back,” Nellise responded, drawing disbelieving looks from the others. “You see me as I was, a mortal woman,” she continued. “Remember I am an angel of Kylaris, and as such have direct access to the Source of all things. I can fix him — I can bring him back... but it will take some time.”
“We don't have it,” Sayana bluntly suggested. “Even now they wonder at the absence of their brethren. We must hurry if we wish to take advantage of this situation.”
“What's our next move?” Aiden asked of Terinus.
“We follow the original plan,” the wizard rasped. “You and I must access the consoles on the bridge and destroy this edifice once and for all. We then make our way to the room we arrived in and use their portal to return to Aielund.”
“The Strator will be there,” Sayana pointed out.
“We will have to secure the bridge before we can act.”
“Up for one more fight?” Aiden asked of Robert. Sayana shared his concern, for the mercenary was bruised and bloodied, and his breathing came in ragged gasps.
“Wouldn't miss it for all the gold in the world,” he blustered. “Now, someone help an old man with his armour.” Sayana smiled slightly at his courage and raised her hands. With the power of her mind, she lifted his armour from the pile, piece by piece, and sent it flying through the air to attach itself to his body. Securing the clasps was tricky, but she managed it without too much trouble.
The others fished their equipment from the pile, conscious of their fallen comrade lying only yards away. Aiden took a pair of gauntlets from one of their fallen foes, strapping them on and feeling their power at his fingertips. At his feet was a familiar sack they had carried with them from the tower.
“Here's a little something from Saffron,” Aiden said as he discovered the sack of potions she had handed them upon her departure from the Black Tower. He began dispensing the tiny vials amongst everyone present. They were labelled in crisp, neat handwriting which nobody bothered to read. Robert downed three of them at once, while Sayana went through half a dozen in short order.
While shuddering at the taste which could only be described as “potent”, she noticed to her relief that the burns on her skin began to clear up. A surge of energy washed through her entire being and she felt ready for one last burst of activity. It woul
d hopefully be enough. Nearby, Nellise still crouched over the body of her fallen love, pushing the white hair back from his face as tears began to fall.
“He saved our lives,” Nellise pointed out. “I can't just leave him here.”
“His sacrifice will be for naught if we do not take advantage of this opportunity,” Terinus insisted. “Does it matter how soon you act to restore him?”
“The sooner the better,” Nellise replied. “After an hour it will be extremely difficult.”
“Within the hour we'll know one way or another if we are going to survive this,” Sayana told her.
“Come with us or not, it's up to you,” Robert said, hefting his sword onto his shoulder. He began heading towards the door, with Terinus and Aiden following closely behind. Sayana touched Nellise lightly on the shoulder as she went past, and she heard the cleric whisper “Yes Pace, this counts. You've redeemed yourself, my love. I will come back for you”.
She kissed Pacian lightly on the cheek, then turned and walked purposefully towards the door. Sayana was taken aback by the expression of focused rage on Nellise’s usually serene features. Clad only in her torn robe, she didn't even bother retrieving her armour or weapons.
“Nel, do you want this?” Aiden suggested as he gripped the hilt of the alien sabre in his gauntleted hand.
“I no longer have need of it,” she explained distractedly, a statement that caused Aiden some concern. “Someone should take this thing,” he added, lifting the circlet.
“I would, but it won't go under my helm,” Robert answered. Aiden nodded and without warning, placed it onto Sayana's head.
“They will go for you first, just as they did before,” he warned, and Sayana didn't object.
“Terinus, lead the way,” Robert instructed. The wizard gestured with his staff and began moving down the hall to the left. Sayana's inner sight had diminished greatly, restricting her ability to sense the presence of sa'quaarin minds nearby. Looking at her arms, she was astonished to see pink skin through her torn clothing, all the way up to her shoulders. Only then did she realise she was walking and talking in a normal fashion. Her effortless levitation was gone.
“I am shielding our presence from their minds,” Sayana whispered to the others. “If we do not encounter anyone directly, we should be moving mostly unseen within these halls. My powers are diminishing rapidly. I thought it was just the extra augmentation unravelling, yet it seems all of the markings are coming away.”
“I know you always wanted to be a normal person,” Robert remarked. “But you picked a hell of a time to do it.”
“Here,” Terinus said, giving no indication he had been listening. He opened a door in front of them, inside of which was a small chamber no more than three yards across. Terinus walked inside and bid the others do the same.
“A dead end?” Aiden asked curiously, looking up and down for some indication what it was about.
“A shortcut,” Terinus explained. Once they were all inside, Terinus touched a glyph on a small black panel to one side. The door closed, and the small room lurched with the distinct sensation of movement.
“We will emerge on the bridge, so expect stiff resistance,” Terinus rasped. His leather gloves creaked as he gripped the staff tightly, indicating intense emotions just below the surface.
“Are you okay?” Sayana asked quietly. Despite his history, his apparent dedication to righting the wrongs in his past was gaining her respect. Initially abhorred by their family connection — however distant — she found she now empathised with his plight and felt a measure of concern for the only true family she knew.
“I seek an end to this existence,” Terinus grated. “Nothing short of their complete destruction will assuage my vengeance. After so many long years, the time is at hand. I have never been more 'okay', Sayana.” They exchanged a brief smile. A fleeting moment of mutual kinship acknowledged on the brink of oblivion.
The sensation of movement abruptly stopped and the door opened. A short hallway extended from the door, connected to a large, circular chamber. They slowly moved forward, weapons at the ready. Braced for a vicious fight, Sayana was instead taken aback by the vista before them.
A dozen sa'quaarin worked at various consoles dotted around the room, the floor of which was reflecting subtle light from above. Lifting her gaze, Sayana was transfixed by an enormous sphere of blue and white far above them, held in place by unseen forces amidst a sea of stars. If her eyes did not deceive her, the sphere appeared to be quite distant from the fortress they stood in, visible through a ceiling which appeared to be composed entirely of glass.
“It's Aeos,” Aiden breathed, similarly affected by the view. “It looks just like the maps I've seen. We are high above the world itself.” Sayana gaped at the sight, finally understanding what she was looking at. The lighter parts were clouds, moving slowly over the shining oceans and varied landscapes. It was beautiful and humbling at the same time, and affected her more profoundly than she could have imagined.
“Everyone you have ever known or heard of has lived and died on the world you see before you,” Terinus whispered. “Remember this as we battle for control of this room. Stay focused, and we shall succeed.”
A shrill cry went up from one of the sa'quaarin, snapping Sayana's attention back to the present moment. All of the creatures in the room turned to look at the interlopers, including the armoured form of the Strator. Terinus whirled around and raised his staff, causing the doors to close behind them. A flash of light in the tiny gap between the metal left a red glow, as if they had been melted together.
The Strator glared menacingly at them then raised both hands. A flickering blade etched in power appeared in one, and the other pointed at the interlopers. As one, his comrades glared at Sayana and unleashed a psychic scream at her, attempting to destroy her mind. They did not however, see the metal circlet hidden in her wild hair, shielding her from their formidable power.
Sayana and her companions were suddenly bathed in light as Nellise levitated above the floor and unfurled her wings. A sword appeared in her hands, forged of faith and light, and a wreath of radiance suffused her very being. Usually content to hold back and support the others, the angel Nellise was both beautiful and terrible in her wrath, and it was she who led them into the fight. There were no words spoken, no rallying cry or call to arms. Silently and with methodical purpose, the two forces joined in a clash to decide the fate of the world plainly visible above them.
Nellise raised her arms and a blast of radiant, golden flames erupted from the floor, engulfing half the chamber. Sayana joined the fight, sending a ball of fire hurtling into the middle of the conflagration where it exploded.
Aiden raised his gauntlet and sent a pulse of crackling green energy into the growing tumult, creating a firestorm of destructive force in which nothing could survive. The charred bodies of several sa'quaarin flew through the air, leaving trails of smoke as their smouldering forms scattered across the room.
Retaliation was swift and brutal. Chunks of flaming metal from the debris were redirected at incredible speed towards the five companions. Robert, who had moved to the vanguard, stood before Sayana and raised his shield to absorb the worst of the impacts while Terinus summoned a sphere of protection to keep himself and Aiden from harm. Once it was clear, the mercenary charged directly at a small cluster of sa'quaarin, moving with blurring speed and crashing into their ranks with a thunderous report.
Aeon Invictus swept back and forth as Robert kept four of the enemy occupied, leaving the rest for Sayana and the others to deal with. Bright energies flashed between Terinus and the Strator, a furious duel between the former conspirators nobody else desired to interrupt.
Aiden dashed to the right and attacked those sa'quaarin who had survived the initial blast, finding more than a few unwilling to yield easily. With his sabre slashing and cutting at his foes, a small army of angry spirits manifest around him and unleashed their pent-up rage at those who had destroyed their home lo
ng ago.
The initial assault was near-perfect, but there were only four of them against double that number of surviving sa'quaarin, and it didn't take long for the fight to swing against them. Protected against the fires slowly spreading through the chamber, the shadowy masters of the world rallied and pushed back against the assault.
The ancient wizard's defences were sorely tested when he was slammed with a wave of force, which rippled through the air and scoured the nearby wall as it went past. Lightning snapped around him and realising he was outmatched, his form blurred with speed as he raced around the enemy to the other side of the chamber. He found no respite, however, for the fires consuming the chamber rose up in the form of an immense elemental which struck out at him, bathing him in flames.
Robert's shield rang again and again as other sa'quaarin, wielding powerful energy-wreathed swords pressed the attack. Their gauntlets gave them immense physical strength however, and the shield was beginning to smoke. Even his unnatural speed wasn't enough to give him more than a fleeting chance to strike back against so many at once.
Sayana was attempting to be more efficient with her sorcery, for she could sense the inevitable ebbing of power beginning to gnaw at her mind. Desperate to assist Robert, she pushed against the wards protecting the Akashic Throne from any sort of dimensional travel. Instead of transporting herself, she managed to open a tiny portal and shoved her hand through. It emerged a few feet to the right of the group engaging Robert, and through it she unleashed a bolt of crackling green energy.
It burned straight through the gathered sa'quaarin, disintegrating a few limbs and taking one of them directly in the chest. It bought Robert time to bring his weapon to bear, and with a roar of fury he shattered the skull of another sa'quaarin, leaving them with six to deal with. The magic had come with a heavy cost however, for more of the tattoos smoked and peeled away, unable to withstand the power drain. She winced at the burns criss-crossing her skin, realising she only had a few moments of sorcery left within her.
Soldiers of the Heavens Page 33