by Andrew Rowe
Sterling groaned, his eyelids fluttering...but again, the spell failed to take hold.
In a moment, she was hurled away, crashing painfully to the ground.
When she rolled over, face-up, she could barely open her eyes. Her wounds just hurt too much.
Sterling was looming over her a moment later, then there was a flash of silver and Sterling let out a hiss, stumbling backward.
Taelien was right above her, too. And he finally had his sword.
Lydia could barely process the rapid exchange of bladework above her. But when their swords caught for a moment and pressed, it was Sterling that fell backward.
Taking inspiration from Wrynn, she grabbed Sterling’s ankle from the ground. “Sleep.”
“Ugh!” Sterling faltered and stumbled.
That moment was all Taelien needed. With an extra press of force, Sterling’s sword fell into two pieces.
Then the Sae’kes was at Sterling’s neck. “I’m giving you one chance to surrender.”
Sterling raised his left hand and vanished.
Taelien spun around, searching. Lydia groaned and sat up.
Sterling had appeared right by Kyestri’s fallen body.
“Stop. You won’t escape,” Taelien stepped forward, raising the Sae’kes in a striking position. Kyestri and Sterling were far from reach, but Lydia had seen Taelien project blades of force from a distance.
“Escape?” Sterling scoffed, reaching down. “No, no. Just getting a quick pick-me-up.”
Taelien swung, but too late. His shockwave of force cut through empty air.
Sterling reappeared next to the portal, then surged forward and pulled Kyestri through it.
For a few moments, there was silence. Lydia painfully forced herself back to her feet, only to stumble and nearly fall back down.
Taelien moved into a defensive position next to her, watching and waiting.
Lydia heard something moving in the woods nearby. Not Sterling. “Taelien. As soon as he emerges, plan C.”
There was a look of surprise on Taelien’s face, then a smile crossed it again. “Got it.”
She pressed a hand against his back. “Sorcerous shield.” She trembled, then fell to her knees. “I’m sorry. I’m...”
“You’ve done your part.” Taelien raised the Sae’kes, watching the portal. The blade of the sword seemed to be glowing brighter and brighter with every passing moment. “We’ll handle things from here.”
Sterling stepped back out of the portal. The blood on his face was gone, and he had a massive greatsword leaning against his shoulder.
“World Cutter,” Taelien mumbled. “Couldn’t magnetize that one. He wouldn’t let me touch it.”
Sterling strode forward, looking confident. It was easy to see why.
His exposed skin was gleaming with new power.
“Did you...kill Kyestri?” Lydia broke into a cough as she asked.
He shook his head. “No, no. The creature is still useful. I merely took most of his power.” He raised the tremendous sword with a single hand, pointing it at Taelien. “More than enough to finish this, I’d say.”
Taelien took a few steps forward, watching Sterling carefully. “You’d think that, but I have a habit of breaking things. Other swords. Valuable artifacts. People who gloat too much.”
“Come on, then.” Sterling smiled. “Break me, if you can.”
“Sure. But you should know,” he glanced toward the Sae’kes, then back toward Sterling. “I wasn’t just standing around while you were away.”
Lydia saw it clearly, then. The aura around the Sae’kes was flickering violently.
And not a single one of the runes was lit.
“I might have broken this just a little bit, too.”
Taelien swung his sword.
The world around him disintegrated. Everything in a five-foot sphere — everything up to just in front of where Lydia was lying — simply vanished.
That was only the backlash.
Everything in a line in front of where he swung was severed. There was a shimmering crack in the air, a tear where space itself had been rent apart, that went on for dozens of feet.
The attack was soundless and near-instant. There was no visible shockwave to dodge, no telltale blast of flame to absorb.
He had simply cut, and the world was changed.
Sterling reached down, searching for injuries, and finding none. “You…missed?”
Taelien’s forehead was matted with sweat. His hands trembled on the grip of his weapon. In spite of that, he smiled. “Nah.”
The portal behind Kyestri and Sterling had been cut in half.
A moment later, there was a crack as the damaged portal collapsed in on itself. The air around it distorted, then seemed to shatter apart.
Sterling was the only one still standing near it. As the air rippled and pulled inward, he lost the grip on his greatsword, and it flew dozens of feet away to land harmlessly on the ground.
In spite of the sheer force of the implosion, Sterling was unharmed. He balled his hands into fists, concentrating power within them. The air around his hands warbled and cracked.
Taelien raised his sword again. “I just cut off your escape route. And that,” he waved his sword in a small circle, “was the signal for our reinforcements to attack.”
A dozen glowing golden blades appeared in the air around Sterling. He smashed the first two with the explosive force emanating from his hands, but more appeared in their place.
Metal spikes appeared from the ground beneath him, pinning Sterling’s legs in place.
Three figures stepped out of the forest, opposite Taelien and Lydia.
Keldyn Andys was in the front, holding his hand up as he concentrated, his dozen swords already moving closer to pin Sterling in place. “You’re going to pay for what you did to my team, monster.”
Behind him were three others. Kestrel Markar and Gladio Gath stood in defensive stances in front of Bobax, the illusionist that Taelien realized had been keeping them near-invisible all the time they’d been following Lydia. Gladio was holding a black-bladed sword marked with silvery runes, and Kestrel was wielding a two-handed blade of light, like a much larger version of the ones Keldyn was commanding.
Lydia didn’t see the rest of their squad. Presumably, Finn and Durias were still invisible, waiting in reserve.
Sterling glanced at the newcomers. He vanished…
…then reappeared right where he’d been standing.
Gladio Gath raised the black sword he was carrying, pointing it at Sterling. “Teleportation anchor. We remember who you stole from. We remember who you killed. We came prepared.”
Sterling ducked, ripped one of the metal spikes from the ground, and hurled it at Bobax with lightning speed.
Kestrel stepped in the way, cutting the projectile in half. “That won’t work.” She gave a slight shake of her head. “Can you, uh, please just surrender now?”
Bobax snapped his fingers and a glowing series of letters appeared in front of Taelien. They vanished a moment later.
At the same time, a blur shot through the opposite side of the forest. Taelien barely had time to turn before Dyson was next to him, kneeling at his sister’s side. Then his arms slipped under her, and he lifted her from the ground. “I’ve got her.”
“Dyson...” Lydia managed.
“Ssh. It’s okay. We’re here now.” He flashed a grin at her. “You should have called us sooner. Or let us follow closer.”
“Couldn’t risk Kyestri or Sterling noticing. Even with Bobax’s sorcery, there was a high chance scrying would catch you.”
Taelien gave Dyson a nod. “Get her clear.”
Taelien advanced to where Sterling was still surrounded by a dozen floating blades. Sterling tried to grab one of out of the air, but it simply bobbed back out of his reach. As Taelien grew closer, Sterling charged more force around his hands. “Stop. If you want to continue this, you’ll have to kill me. And I’ll take many of you with me.�
��
Taelien offered a simple shrug, raising the Sae’kes. “I was given orders to use lethal force. That includes you, if you don’t surrender immediately.”
“I…” Sterling glanced around. Wrynn stirred on the ground, reaching for one of her knives. Kestrel and Gladio were slowly approaching from his rear, and Taelien from the front. “You wouldn’t cut me with that sword. You wouldn’t dare. It would be an act of war.”
Lydia gave Taelien a nod.
There was a flash of silver, then Taelien lowered his sword.
A gash opened across Sterling’s cheek, bleeding freely. Sterling raised his hand to his cheek, then glanced at his blood-stained fingertips. “You…”
Taelien leveled his sword, putting it at Sterling’s throat. “Surrender. Now.”
For a long moment, Sterling’s eyes met Taelien’s. Sterling’s jaw tightened…then, after a moment, he seemed to relax. A smirk crossed his lips.
The glowing sword fell from his grip.
And then he raised both empty hands and said—
“You win. I surrender.”
***
For the first time in hours, Lydia could take a moment to breathe.
The battle was over.
Wrynn was back on her feet within a couple minutes, using her strange “spirit arts” to provide some minimal healing. That was enough to prevent any of her injuries from being life-threatening, as well as to close the nasty gash on Taelien’s neck. It wasn’t enough to reattach Lydia’s finger, though. She found that on the ground, bagged it, and hoped that Aladir would be able to reattach it if they got to him quickly enough.
Her abilities are very strange. I’ll have to see if I can use Intuitive Comprehension to figure out how it works after I’ve rested. For now, I don’t think I can cast one more spell without collapsing.
Wrynn practically collapsed again after that. Her tunic was working to close her injuries, but it couldn’t repair the damage to her seal. She looked awful, but Lydia didn’t have any way to help her immediately.
While Taelien hovered within sword reach, Dyson’s squad set up a teleportation ritual around Sterling. The materials involved cost a fortune, but they’d transport a small group directly back to the Citadel of Blades.
Once there, they’d shove Sterling directly into a specially-prepared cell.
She watched, exhausted but relieved, as they worked. Two more figures emerged from the woods before they finished — Durias Moss, the communication paladin who had served as the announcer during the arena battles, and Finn Pine. The pair reported that they’d successfully finished re-sealing the barrier to keep the shades from breaking through.
Minutes passed. Dyson insisted on carrying Lydia around, which admittedly was rather nice.
Sterling was atypically quiet as the majority of the paladins stepped into the ritual area and spoke the words to complete it.
Moments later, they were gone.
“It’s done, then. He’s gone.” Lydia breathed a sigh of relief.
How long they could keep him confined was, unfortunately, an entirely different question.
I’ll need to head back to Velthryn as soon as I’ve checked in with Aladir and Velas.
That way, if — or more likely when — he escapes, I can be there to begin tracking him immediately.
She had his blood now, stored in a vial. They hadn’t managed to get much of it, but even a bit was enough to use as a component for a potent tracking ritual. Even Sterling’s natural defenses and void sorcery would be unlikely to stop it.
When he broke out of their prison, she’d be ready to follow him. Then she’d find who had been pulling his strings in the first place.
Dyson grinned. “What, were you doubting us?”
“Yes, Dyson. I was doubting everything. I still am.” She sighed. “But for the moment, at least, things are better. Thank you and your companions for the help.”
“So formal, Sis. Geez.” He smiled. “But you’re welcome. I’m sure the others were glad to be here.”
While Dyson held Lydia, she cradled the hammerhead of En-Vamir in return. Even with part of the essence drained out of it by Sterling, she knew how valuable it was, both in terms of power and religious significance.
“Still, I appreciate all their efforts. I’m aware this was not a typical assignment.”
“Pfft. Those are the best kind. We should get going, though. That finger isn’t going to reattach itself.” Dyson turned toward Taelien. “You sure you don’t want to tag along with us, at least as far as town?”
Taelien shook his head. “No. Wrynn and I need to get to Kyestri’s manor. At the moment, he’s still probably incapacitated.”
“I could get there faster,” Dyson offered.
“You need to take Lydia to get medical help,” Wrynn replied. She turned to Lydia. “The art I used on her should keep her stable, but she really needs to see a dedicated healer. I’m sorry I can’t do more, but I can’t risk weakening my seal further. Even as it is, I need to go do something about that as soon as Kyestri is dealt with.”
“Seal?” Dyson raised an eyebrow.
“I’ll explain later,” Lydia told him, then turned back to Wrynn. “I wish I understood the seal well enough to assist with it. When Venlyra recovers, perhaps we could manage a stasis effect.”
“We can discuss that later. For now, Sal and I should get moving.”
Dyson frowned. “You sure? You’re not in much better shape than Lydia is. If you give us a week or two to prepare, we could just storm the place with a big group.”
“He’ll be gone by then.” Wrynn shook her head. “Probably to another world entirely. He’s almost certainly an agent of the Sun Eater. That’s why he was after those stones.”
[Agreed. I don’t know why he wanted us in specific, but that was definitely a karna.]
The same one that stabbed you with the black dagger?
[No, his true form was different, I think.]
Lydia nodded. “Venora concurs.”
Taelien drew in a breath. “And Sterling was working with him. Do you think Aayara was aware?”
“Absolutely,” Lydia replied without hesitation. “Jonan knew.”
Taelien frowned. “And he told you?”
“Not precisely. We’ll get into that talk another time. For the moment, secure the mask. Then, go to the place we discussed back in Wrynn’s place.”
“The place we...ah, on the card?”
Lydia nodded. “Don’t say anything else. Too likely we’re still being watched.”
Taelien groaned. “Understood.”
Lydia turned toward her brother. “We’re lucky you arrived when you did, Dyson. I don’t know if we could have handled Sterling without you.”
“Luck had nothing to do with it, sis.” Dyson grinned. “All skill.”
Taelien rolled his eyes. “Give Bobax my compliments on his tricks. Even knowing you were out in the woods, I never could find you.”
Dyson snorted. “No problem. I’m sure he’ll be thrilled. And hey, those tricks fool the best of us. Not me, obviously, but the best non-me people.”
Lydia chuckled. “Of course.” Her vision swam. “Ugh. Not to alarm anyone, but I think I might need that medical help sooner, rather than later.”
Taelien gave her a concerned look. “Be safe, Lydia.”
Lydia nodded. “You be careful, too. I’m sure I’ll see you again soon.”
Taelien gave her a bright smile. “I certainly hope it won’t be too long. I missed you.”
Chapter XXIII – Taelien VI – Clean Up
Dyson left with Lydia almost immediately, heading toward Selyr, where Aladir was supposed to be staying. Even while carrying Lydia, he was able to run at prodigious speed.
Be careful, you two.
“Phew. Just us now, eh?” Wrynn glanced around the battlefield. “That’s good. We get some time alone for the most important part.”
Taelien blinked. “...Which is...?”
“Looting, obvi
ously!” Wrynn beamed. “Look at all this stuff!”
After a moment of appraisal, Taelien nodded. “...I get the swords.”
***
Taelien did not, in fact, get the swords.
Given their injuries, Wrynn ended up stowing all of the littered objects on the battlefield — the broken remains of Kyestri’s armor and stone mask, her own knives, Void Branch, and World Cutter — inside the Jaden Box.
Lydia had left with the single most valuable item already; she was still carrying the remains of En-Vamir. He hoped she wouldn’t have to use it again any time soon.
By the time they’d reached Kyestri’s manor, Taelien was exhausted, but still feeling ready for a fight. He approached the front door with his sword already drawn, scanning from side-to-side for threats on the way in.
Wrynn checked the door for traps before they burst inside, but didn’t find any. Then, with great alacrity, they searched the building.
Kyestri was already gone. The servants were all gone, too. Wrynn even risked using another spirit art to search the place, but found only the lingering traces of another portal spell.
Taelien tightened his fist. “I should have hit him harder.”
“You might have killed him if you had.” She patted his arm. “And that’s never been what you’re about.”
“You’re...right.” He took a breath. “Maybe I should have made an exception for him, though. Kyestri is going to be trouble in the future.”
“Maybe, but nothing immediate, I suspect.”
Taelien raised a hand to his chin. “It just doesn’t feel like we’ve done enough to prevent him from just coming back and causing more damage. Hm...maybe...”
“Whatcha thinking?”
He grinned at Wrynn. “Still got more room in that box?”
Wrynn’s eyes glittered. “You know I do.”
***
It took a number of hours to loot the entire building. The vast majority of valuable items went into Wrynn’s box, though she promised to hand a portion of it over to the Paladins of Tae’os later.
Taelien would have carried more of it himself, but his shoulder was still terribly sore from being dislocated, and his destructive aura was being particularly difficult to control after the fight. He’d taken a real risk by suppressing the runes on his sword completely for that attack on the portal, and now, it was taking a great deal of effort just to keep his aura from burning through the floor beneath him and the clothes he was wearing.