Cole reluctantly drew his munisica, halting his Rage before the shroud could inch past his wrists and ankles. Their eyes met and Cole set off with a nod. Lileth pulled ahead, encouraging Cole to use more of his Rage, but he refused.
“Goran, get off that thing!” Cole hollered before turning to Lileth. “I told him to stay away! Those guns will tear right through him.”
Goran was perched on the chest of one Colossus, snapping pieces from the bone nest with his sweeping canines. Valen and Sitra stood nearby.
“The Morthainian ships have ceased fire. I believe they are on their way over,” Valen called, trotting over with Sitra.
“I wondered when we’d see your mean side again.” Sitra grinned, clinking her munisica against Cole’s. “You’ll have to show me how you do that.”
“I don’t think so,” Cole said, embarrassment flushing his cheeks. “I Hate it. It makes me forget who I am. I almost killed Lileth again. That much Rage isn’t good for anyone. Roth doesn’t even shroud himself fully.”
“That’s because he can’t. The old man’s on his way over now.” Sitra’s eyes sharpened with worry. “I thought Liza patched him up.”
Cole twisted around, seeing Roth in a gimping run with Eliza at his side. “That first Colossus nearly killed him. I’m surprised to see him standing at all.”
Roth skidded to a halt while Eliza hovered closer to him, glancing sideways at his wounds. Thin, membranous sheets of new skin draped over his wounds. The patched skin looked as though it would break loose at the slightest prodding.
Roth ignored their looks of concern. “Are the priests dead yet?”
As if in answer, a vicious barking came from Goran. The unit turned as the mirak wrenched a final piece of bone free. A piercing scream rang from the bone nest, only to be cut short as Goran plunged his head into its depths. The body of the Colossus disintegrated into hundreds of charred Underkin. Goran’s white mohawk was covered in blood, looking like a brush dipped in crimson paint. The mirak wasted no time jumping off and galloping for the final Colossus.
Valen sprang into the air, his jade wings cutting through the dust and wind like swords. He alighted on the torso of the Colossus before Goran reached it. Valen raised his hands into the air, his munisica and wings receding entirely as his whole body became enveloped in an emerald glow. Tiny sparks of Wisdom swirled in between his outstretched arms, coalescing into a crystalline spear longer than he was tall. He snapped his arms down, and the spear shot into the Colossus. The titan fell apart as Valen’s wings dissolved. He landed rough and ran back to the unit, swaying drunkenly from the exertion of his Wisdom.
“That last one sure put up a fight,” Sitra said with a chuckle as she kicked at a blackened limb that rolled too close. “Are the chosen dead for good now that the priests are gone?”
Roth’s bladed hair whipped across his shoulders as he scanned the desert. “That’s not the last one. There’s another one out there somewhere. The battle overlays showed five Colossi. If we don’t kill that last priest then the slimeball will cannibalize the others. The Colossi we just fought were toddlers compared to what they can grow into.”
“So they’re still not dead?” Cole asked. “Can’t we do anything for them?”
“The chosen cannot die,” Roth grunted. “It’s best to crush them into dust so that their bodies can no longer be used. We can break them; however, their ruined spirits will linger on, haunting and poisoning our world. Alvani was working on a way to free them before you all set off for Costas. Too bad she didn’t finish it. I’d wager the Underkin from the Costas’s Devotion were used against us tonight.” He sniffed the air, lips curling. “You can smell the Hatred coming off them. These things are just waiting to get scooped up by one of Sorronis’s priests. Auger better dispose of them soon.”
The unit mulled around, assessing their injuries and taking turns healing Roth’s. Roth flat out refused their help at first, but Eliza persisted, convincing him that it would be good training. Try as they might, however, they were unable to heal him completely. When Cole took his turn, his Passion revealed to him just how badly Roth had been hurt. How the Bonebreaker had managed to survive was a mystery.
A few minutes later the Firedancer pulled up beside them, hovering several feet over the hardened dirt. A dozen other ships circled not far off, each deck gun scanning the desert. With Cole’s encouragement Goran leaped up onto the Firedancer while the rest of the unit followed suit. Still disgusted by his Rage, Cole used Wisdom to carry himself up to the top deck.
“Never in all my cycles have I seen such nightmares,” the Firedancer’s captain spat into the wind. He sprinted down the stairs to greet them. “Boil my bones if you didn’t make short work of them though. Watched the whole thing through our scopes. Which one of you took the big one down by your damned self?”
“That would be our Rage Master, the little guy right here,” Sitra said, and clapped her clawed hand over Cole’s shoulders, buckling his knees. “He doesn’t look like much, but he’s got himself an awful temper.”
The captain’s jaw swung open. “The human! You’re kidding me!”
“Enough!” Roth barked, startling them. “Get us out of here, now. Point this log at Oberon and give it everything you have. Can you communicate with Morthain from here?”
The captain snapped to attention. “Yes, King Roth. Since your lot powered up the gratia stones all sorts of equipment has fired up. The boys just got the relay resonators working not ten minutes ago.”
“Send word to King Auger that there’s another Colossus out there. And these chosen need to be dealt with before Sorronis’s minions come for them,” Roth ordered, motioning towards the blackened hills behind him.
“As you say, King Roth.” The captain turned and disappeared through a door to the lower deck.
The Firedancer picked up speed, banking towards Oberon and bringing them back over the powdery ocean. Roth and Valen remained vigilant, each warrior climbing a mast to a separate crow’s nest for a better view. Cole took a seat up against Goran’s flank, listening to the steady thrum of his wild heart. Lileth joined him, her shoulder leaning against his as she gave him a warm grin. Cole’s chest swarmed with butterflies and he felt as though he were a foot taller. Something was off, however. As he glanced down at his body, a confusing, disorienting sensation came over him. He did not just feel taller, he was taller. His eyes were now level with Lileth’s chest and his ruined armor was far too small.
“See something interesting?” she asked, grinning.
Cole stuttered, tearing his eyes away from her chest. “S-sorry, I just…I think I just went through another growth spurt. I’m taller than I was when we were in King Auger’s house.”
“You are taller than you were twenty minutes ago.” She looked him up and down. “It seems as if your Rage is encouraging your growth.”
Cole shifted uncomfortably as she looked him over. His armor was tattered with dozens of holes, some of which were very revealing. “Roth says the Rage isn’t the reason I’m growing, though it definitely feels like it’s helping me along. It’s got to be something though, some kind of magic. I must have grown a foot taller since I left Earth. Humans can’t grow that fast. Do you think Chiron might have an idea?” Cole asked, leaning back and gazing up at Oberon’s twisting colors.
Lileth remained unusually silent.
“Yeah he probably doesn’t know either. I wonder if Kreed knows. He mentioned that there was something special about me in Costas. I heard one of the priests talking about me from inside the Colossus. I wish I’d had the sense to keep him alive and question him. Maybe take myself another prisoner, eh?” Cole laughed, poking Lileth with his elbow.
She still didn’t say a word.
“What’s with the silent treatment? You okay?” he asked.
Lileth squinted out into the sands. Her look of confusion bloomed into open horror as her eyes snapped wide.
“Colossus!” Roth bellowed from above.
The
stench of burnt meat stung Cole’s nostrils as his stomach churned. Cole jumped to his feet, running over to the side of the deck. A dark mountain rose steadily from the powder. The fifth Colossus had finally arrived.
“At least it’s smaller than the others,” Sitra called out over the wind. “Come on, let’s go give it hell before their navy takes all the fun.”
Roth landed on the deck, splintering the wood. He approached the balustrade, shaking his head with a look of grim defeat. “I was wrong. That’s an Alpha Colossus.”
“That’s not the whole Colossus. That’s only its head.” Eliza whimpered. She looked as if she were about to vomit.
Cole rose to his feet, rubbing Wisdom into his eyes to sharpen his vision. From several miles away, what he took to be an entire Colossus was soon joined by two broad shoulders and arms. It was impossible. The figure rising out of the sands was larger than any single object Cole had ever seen. This Colossus was not only bigger than the others, but faster and more agile. The others were clumsy children compared to this behemoth. The Colossus felt the edge of the hard packed dirt with its hands, then hoisted itself up with alarming grace. A thunderous report of artillery fire broke out from the navy, though Cole couldn’t make out any damage to the Colossus. It was simply too large.
The titan’s head snapped towards a ship that had fired from at least a mile away. With impossible speed it covered the distance in several bounding strides. It paused over the ship and cocked its head, as if surprised by its own quickness.
With sickening Fear bubbling up his spine, Cole realized none of them were safe. If the giant could close such a gap in just a few steps, then it would be all too easy for it to pick apart the entire navy. Their only hope was that it wouldn’t notice the Firedancer in the chaos. From in between the titan’s legs, flashes of light were followed by a few deep booms as the deck guns unleashed a volley, though the Colossus didn’t seem to notice. The ships then shot off in zigzagging patterns. Unfazed, the Colossus gave a lazy kick to the nearest vessel, sending it careening into a roll and cracking it in half. The titan picked up the biggest piece and brought it to its mouth, shaking the contents down its gullet.
Valen alighted on the deck beside Roth. His voice was weak, as if Fear had sapped him of the strength to talk. “How…how can we hope to combat such a nightmare? Escape seems the only viable option.”
“We can’t just leave them!” Cole said, standing as tall as he could. “That thing will eat their navy and probably all of Morthain by the end of the day.” Unbidden thoughts of Milette came to him. It would be his fault if the Colossus killed her.
“A foe of that scale is beyond any of us,” Valen said, laying his steely eyes on Cole. “Escape is our only means of survival.”
“It’s not beyond me,” Cole said, hands balling into fists as tears flooded his eyes. “I can do it, but I have to let the Rage take all of me. The other Colossus was easy. This one’s bigger so it’ll take me longer, but I can do it. I’m sure.”
Valen squinted. “And what will be left of you? Even if you should kill that abomination then we would have your unrestrained Rage to deal with. You yourself may very well be the ruin of Morthain if you carry on unchecked.” Valen placed a hand on Cole’s shoulder. “I do not say this out of disdain for you, brother; however, I cannot pretend that I didn’t see the instability of your Rage.” Valen’s eyes flicked to Lileth. “I am not eager to lose another member of this unit.”
Cole nodded, feeling both helpless and crestfallen. Valen was right. He had come far too close to killing Lileth on more than one occasion.
“But we can’t just run away. We just can’t. A whole city is at stake here.” Cole looked back at the Alpha Colossus, which had finished eating another ship and had started working on the remains of one of its smaller brethren. “I’m going back. I’ll figure something out. None of you need to come.”
“You won’t be alone,” Eliza said, a grin playing across her face. “Someone needs to carry you over at the very least. You may have a knack for Rage, but the Colossus will tire of waiting for you to figure out how to fly over.” She caressed the side of Cole’s face and at once he felt her familiar song blooming in his mind. He grasped the link, strengthening it with his own Passion.
“Perhaps I can keep you from wandering too far down the path of Rage,” Eliza said with her mouth and mind, brushing roughly up against his Rage. Cole felt his munisica come forth.
“And perhaps I can pull you back if you do.” Lileth gripped Cole’s bladed hands with her own claws.
“Well that settles it then,” Sitra said. She pounded her feet against the deck and hollered at the crew, “Hey, someone turn this heap around! We’ve got another baddie to tackle!”
Valen shook his head, looking suddenly tired. “I tell you, it’s a fool’s errand. Master Roth, won’t you inject some reason into this madness?”
“I will go. None of you will follow me,” Roth said in a quiet rumble. His eyes were locked on the Alpha Colossus. He was as calm and docile as Cole had ever seen him. His tone was soft yet unyielding, like an avalanche of fresh snow. “Go to Oberon City. Find Chiron and Alvani at the temple. That’s an order. On my blood and honor you will follow it.”
“But-but what are you talking about?” Sitra stammered. “You’re not going anywhere without us. Are you?”
“She’s right, Master Roth,” Eliza pleaded. “You can’t go alone. You shouldn’t go at all with those wounds. Master Alvani needs to look at you.”
Roth didn’t answer. He flexed his shoulders forward as massive emerald wings exploded from his back, sweeping over the entire deck like bladed fans.
“NO!” Sitra screamed, angry tears shaking from her eyes. “You can’t, I won’t let you! You’re hurt! That thing will kill you for sure! We only just lost Storn and now you’re going to throw your life away chasing some glorious death or something? You’re abandoning us is what you’re doing! You’re an idiot, a big dumb coward! Don’t you dare leave us!”
Roth’s eyes turned to Sitra, his granite features melting into fatherly adoration. “I don’t remember asking for your tears, Warrior of the Sill.” He raised Sitra’s trembling chin with a bladed finger. “I have one more order for you. Should I perish in this war, you are to return to Morthain and invoke the Trial of Honor upon the whole damned city. Don’t let my people fade into comfort and shadow. They need your strength, Sitra.”
Sitra turned her head and winced more tears from her eyes. “Master…no…”
Roth spread his crystalline wings, grinning his toothy grin as he turned to face his colossal enemy.
The rest of the unit summoned wings of their own, crouching and readying themselves for flight. Cole desperately tried to summon wings, feathers, anything to help him make the flight. However, all he could manage was to levitate himself with a wobbly spell, his feet dangling a few feet over the deck. Lileth’s arms wrapped around him and pulled him close.
Something then smashed its way into Cole’s mind, disarming him with overwhelming ferocity. He was no longer in Lileth’s embrace, or even on the Firedancer. It felt as if a hurricane made of mountains had crashed upon him, battering and burying him under their inconceivable mass. The force buried him so far beneath himself that he forgot who he was supposed to be. Recognizing the onslaught as one of Roth’s mental assaults, Cole stopped resisting and allowed himself to be carried away. He grasped at the first memory his mind came across, which was of him giving Joshy a ride on the back of his bike. He poured himself into the memory, feeling the wind in his hair as Joshy belly-laughed into his ear. Outside of his memory bubble the storm subsided. He grudgingly popped the memory and returned to the deck of the Firedancer.
Cole was on his back, lying flat on Lileth’s stomach. Rubbing his head, he looked around and saw his unit wearing pained faces that matched his own.
“He’s gone!” Sitra cried, clawing at the air.
“But he’s not too far.” Lileth rose swiftly to her feet, picking up C
ole along the way. “We can still catch him.”
Cole felt her arms tighten around him as Lileth prepared to take flight. She jerked twice, then dropped him on the deck, moaning.
“He’s smothered our memories,” Valen said, exhaling sharply through pursed lips. “I can’t recall any spells for flight, or levitation, or…aghh!” He gripped his hair and fell to his knees. “Or gravity.”
“The cocky bastard!” Sitra growled. The handrail split and cracked under her munisica. “He’s already injured and now he’s going to battle that monster while maintaining spells against us. Probably thought the Colossus would be too easy if we all ganged up on it. He’s going to kill himself. I Hate hi-”
There was a blur of movement and Eliza was suddenly upon Sitra, her hand clasped over her mouth. “Not Hate. Not that. Do not allow Sorronis into your heart so easily.”
Sitra’s eyes blazed as her munisica wrapped slowly around Eliza’s bare wrist, pulling it away from her mouth. Her lips parted, baring her teeth as her breath came in deep heaves. Eliza’s free hand floated up and cupped Sitra’s cheek, pouring a fresh torrent of rosy Passion into her. Sitra broke into heavy sobs as she sheathed her munisica and hugged Eliza.
Cole felt the weight of every sorrow fall upon him like lead blankets. He couldn’t lose another person he cared about. Joshy, Deekus, Storn, Lexy, Nana Beth, and probably his mother. It was too much. Each loss crippled and cracked parts off his soul that he could never fit back into place. Only in their absence were the parts fully realized and appreciated. Roth had been an iron mountain, challenging and protecting him every step of the way. He made Cole more than he ever thought he could be. Without Roth what hope did they have?
Cole felt a furry nudge at his hand and a primal mind brush against his own. Goran grunted, nudging him again. Cole’s eyes met with the mirak’s ruby orbs. Goran was not ready to give up.
Cole rose to his feet and scrambled up the nearest cargo net. He willed his Wisdom to grant his eyes the distance that Roth’s magic would not allow. He saw his Master’s emerald wings slicing through the air. He was not quite at the Alpha Colossus yet. A wild idea suddenly came to Cole.
Saving The Dark Side Book 2: The Harbingers Page 16