Something else pulled at Cole’s thoughts as he approached the city. Even though he was incapable of sleep, his waking dreams had been filled with nightmares of Lileth. Worries mated with memories and surfaced in between gaps of conscious thought. A mixture of his own Fear and Despair crafted a pallid quagmire that part of him couldn’t escape from. Brooding thoughts branched off into solid possibilities of her seeking the attention of other men. Eliza tried to hide it, but Cole was acutely aware of every time the unit spirited themselves from their prison to indulge in the city nightlife. From Eliza’s periphery, Cole spied Lileth dancing with reckless grace at clubs, an open invitation for other suitors. The behavior was very much unlike the Lileth he knew. Nearly every time he tuned into Eliza’s training he found Valen paired up with Lileth. He was never too far from her side. Cole wondered if she would even bother telling him that she and Valen were an item, or if he would have to figure it out on his own.
“Focus on the facts, Cole. Do not give dread to mere possibilities.” Chiron’s smooth voice shook him from the silence.
Cole blinked, unaware that his mind had drifted. He forgot that he was still linked with Chiron. “Right. They’re at the foothills of the Fangshards, city-side.”
“Lead the way,” Chiron said.
Cole aimed the air shield lower and urged himself faster, attempting to reach the speeds Chiron had them at on the trip to The Sill. Try as he might, Cole was unable to match the elder or create the rippling sonic boom.
With the outskirts of the city now below them, Cole dove for the foothills. He let Goran know that he would be right up shortly afterwards; however, the mirak barely acknowledged his presence. Goran merely fed Cole his constant awareness of the enemy forces, which now beached themselves on the other side of the Fangshards.
They zoomed lower. Cole could make out individual windows and rows of crops painted with Oberon’s fickle hues. Farmers cried out in alarm as they passed. One woman working a rolling combine actually cast a bolt of fire at them, which Chiron graciously did not react to. Cole scrambled up a hasty counter to the spell. Without time to prepare, Cole summoned a crude wall of thought branded with the rule, ‘no fire shall pass.’ The spell worked, but only barely. The flaming bolt splashed over his counter and robbed him of most of his focus, shattering both the flame and air shields. Amid a violent buffeting of wind, he re-conjured the air shield and flew a bit higher. Cheeks flushed, Cole ignored Chiron’s silent judgment.
He followed Eliza’s fraternal bond, and his eyes found a clearing at the city-side of the mountain pass he and his unit had run through many weeks ago. The grassy alcove was empty. Curious, Cole sent out a pulse of Passion and detected dozens of life forces scattered among the trees, all glowing like a garden of candles. Flashing Chiron a wild grin, he slowed and dismissed his air-shield. Bringing his Wisdom into the mundane, a pair of emerald wings erupted from his shoulder blades. The razor sharp tips snapped into his. Cole flexed the wings, giving them a couple test-flaps. Satisfied, he folded the wings and banked into a steep dive.
They alighted upon the hissing grass amid a swirl of loose flower petals and leaves. A thundering voice shook the rain from the surrounding trees: “Of course! Arrive in the final hour, after all the hard work’s been done. You know I Hate logistics.” Roth’s towering figure shimmered and appeared. The Bonebreaker shook the ground with every step as he cut through the waist-high grass. His eyes drilled into Chiron’s. “You’re dealing with the bureaucratic shit-storm after this mess is settled. Had to chew a few Council hides to stir this lot into defending their own borders. Got a decent force stacked up, but between us-” he dropped his voice to a low rumble, “-their odds look about as good as the last time The Three crawled through here. It’s a damn good thing you two showed up.”
“You never fail to light a fire in me, Rothael,” Chiron beamed. “It has been too long since we’ve drawn magic and blade together. I would pity our foes, but at the moment I find such compassion beyond me.” Chiron brought his gaze towards Oberon. His eyes hardened as the white scar on his neck took on an opalescent glow.
The rest of the unit dismissed their shadows, blinking to solid forms in the grass around them. Eliza’s slender frame sparkled into view as Sitra’s long braid bounced from side to side. Valen greeted him with a look of genuine appreciation. Cole was acutely aware of Lileth’s athletic grace striding from the edges of his sight. Her raven hair was tied high in a practical bun while rebellious strands framed her face. Cole glanced at her feet, unable to look her in the eyes. He flexed his wings once more, suddenly reminded of Storn’s showboating. With a restrained smile, he dissolved his wings in a cascade of green sparks.
Cole felt the weight of Roth’s gaze fall over him. The Bonebreaker gave him a savage grin. “I told you when we first met that you would become a living, breathing weapon. Looks like I sized you up properly. You are now a weapon.”
Cole raised his chin, realizing he was now almost as tall as Roth. “I’m at least a little more deadly than I was.”
“Indeed you are, Human,” Roth grumbled, closing in until his nose was a hair’s breadth from Cole’s. “Try to kill me.”
Alvani shimmered into view next to them. “Really! The tides of war are coming in as we speak and you need to wrestle with the boy now? Find your senses, Rothael! Now is not the time.”
“Now is the only time. I need to know if he’s gone soft in the last couple months.” Roth looked back to Cole. “Are you hesitating?”
“No, Master Roth,” Cole said, setting a foot back. He wasn’t scared, but Roth never failed to intimidate him. The rest of the unit backed away, giving them space.
“Be quick about it then!” Alvani stormed off, shouting over her shoulder, “Don’t ask me to fix whatever you break!”
Roth ignored her. He stood with his hulking arms crossed, tapping a clawed foot in the grass. He flashed Cole a look that told him his window of hesitation was about to close.
Cole drew his dagger. It seemed childishly small in his hands, but it felt fitting that he use it now. With a nervous grin, he strode towards his Master, unshrouded. He would hold his munisica back for now. Roth didn’t know Cole had been through a condensing.
Cole lunged from several paces away, aiming for Roth’s chest. The feat of strength and agility failed to elicit even the slightest reaction from Roth, other than a casual flick of his clawed hand. The dagger met with his munisica in a flash of sparks and smoke. Cole followed through with a kick to Roth’s inner thigh, but his bare foot collided with a shrouded shin as Roth blocked the blow.
Ignoring his possibly broken foot, Cole made a series of jabs and slashes with the dagger, each producing a hard clink of sparks as Roth deflected them. Cole could feel the dagger flexing and threatening to snap with each strike. Just like his newly condensed body, the dagger wasn’t nearly enough to pose a threat to the Bonebreaker. Feigning another kick, Cole cast the dagger at Roth’s face as he finally drew his munisica. Continuing his would-be block of Cole’s kick, Roth spun and sent the dagger spinning away with his bladed hair.
Knowing Roth would expect a swift follow-up, Cole leaped high above their grassy battlefield, drawing the rest of his Rage as he flew. Like an obsidian bird of prey, Cole descended on Roth with all four munisica bared. He fell too slowly, however. His claws snapped upon open air.
Roth was simply too quick and too clever, dashing out of the way before Cole’s munisica could find his neck. Cole landed, roaring loudly enough to send a ripple through the surrounding grass. He shot after Roth and their claws met at last in a flurry of blows. Cole held nothing back, striking at Roth with every ounce of his Master’s Rage. Roth staggered back, but he still appeared in control of the fight, drawing Cole back around to where they’d started. The blows were hard enough to cleave Morthainian glass, but had no effect on Roth’s munisica other than an ear-stabbing report. Around them, the others plugged their ears or summoned little green shields over them.
Cole struc
k at Roth with every attack he could think of. He even tried a few underhanded tricks such as pretending to slow and tire, or leaving himself wide open for counterattacks. Though Roth clearly put forth an effort, Cole failed to land a single blow or catch the Bonebreaker in any of his traps. Being fully shrouded, he was both stronger and better-armored than Roth. But as with Chiron, the Master’s experience proved a boon against Cole’s lack of technique and flexibility.
After using the same attack for the third time, Cole sensed a wall of redundancy to their dance. He considered calling Wisdom or Passion to his aid, but didn’t want to provoke Roth into doing the same. Out of sheer frustration, Cole allowed his Rage one last kick, which sent Roth flying back in a graceful flip. Cole stilled himself and released the Rage as he returned to his center.
“I don’t remember telling you to stop,” Roth growled, striding over the torn grass.
Cole retrieved his dagger with Wisdom. The dented blade spun through the air and slapped into his naked palm. He sheathed it behind his back and turned to Roth. “What’s the point? I couldn’t even scratch you, let alone kill you. And I’m pretty sure you couldn’t hurt me either,” he added, raising his chin a little higher.
Roth shook the ground as he stepped to Cole. Cole couldn’t tell if the fire in his eyes was pride or fury. He kept his Rage at the ready just in case.
With a grunt, Roth slammed his forehead into Cole’s, holding him there with the strength of his glare. Cole saw stars, but to his relief the Bonebreaker was smiling.
Roth’s laughter thundered into Cole’s chest. He leaned back and slapped a clawed hand jovially on Cole’s shoulder. “You’ve got Varka’s spirit in you all right. Definitely not his talent in battle, but the spark’s there. After we have our little party with The Three, you and I are going to hone that technique of yours.”
“I would appreciate that, Master Roth.” Cole grinned. He could feel Varka’s cape shifting into a blanket of itchy grass over his back.
Chiron’s pacifying voice caught both their attentions. “Now that you’ve got a good measure of Cole’s skill with Rage, allow me to show you what he’s done with the other magics.” Chiron rolled his fingers together, producing a flowing web of jade light.
Roth grunted, closing his eyes and letting his head fall back. Chiron brought the wispy light to Roth’s forehead, where it flowed into his eyes and ears. Roth’s eyes snapped open as he appeared to search the stars. After a few seconds he nodded slowly, then returned his gaze to Chiron.
“That all?” he demanded. Cole thought he heard an eagerness to his voice. Or was it worry?
Chiron flashed a clever smile. “No, but I’ll leave Cole to tell you about his journey in Brimhallow.”
For the first time since Cole had known him, Roth’s stony demeanor softened. He looked relieved. Cole was in no great hurry to retell the events, not unless Alvani knew some form of Passion to heal the sickness that clung to his heart.
“Maybe after,” Cole blurted before Roth had a chance to question him further. “So what’s the plan? They must be close to the valley by now. I’ve reconnected with Goran by the way. He’s watching from the peaks on the other side of the Fangshards. Last I checked it looked like there was an entire army coming through.”
“Megorien can speak on that,” Roth grunted, flicking his eyes to a figure approaching from Cole’s left. “Her scouts are posted up on the shore.”
Megorien joined the circle. She wore battle robes that billowed without breeze and shimmered with green light. In her hand was a conjured staff that towered over her head, crowned with a leaf-shaped blade. Her demeanor was hard as stone, yet lined with traces of Fear. “The human is right. They are nearly at the other side of the pass. I’ll fill you in as we walk. The scouts on the coast went dark about a half hour ago.”
Chiron gave a bow. “Lead the way, Battle Matron.”
Cole trailed behind the elders, sharpening his ears so he could hear every word. He wanted to be close to Lileth, to show her how much he’d grown. He was certainly taller than her now, and he was competent with all three schools of magic. There was no way she could still see him as just a human. Casually dropping back in the crowd, he tried to meet her eyes, but her stoic gaze was locked straight ahead. Dejected, he glanced farther back and beheld a sizeable formation trailing behind them. They all wore the same battle attire as Megorien and carried a variety of conjured weapons. It suddenly dawned on Cole that he was at the head of an army marching into battle.
Something hard and sharp clapped him on the shoulder, snapping him out of his brooding stupor. He jerked his head to find Sitra beaming up at him.
“Damn you got tall! Skinnier though.” She raked her eyes up and down the length of his body. “I bet I can wrap my munisica around that little waist just like when you were a wee human. I’m surprised you gave Roth such a good show with these sticks.” She squeezed Cole’s upper arms with her munisica.
“Unless I’m mistaken, Cole’s been through a condensing,” Valen said, giving him an endearing bump on the opposite shoulder. “I’m glad to have you back, brother.”
“I’m glad to be back,” Cole replied, grinning as Eliza approached from behind and poured a measure of Passion into his shoulders with her hands. His anxiety melted from him.
“This won’t be like Brimhallow. You are not alone this time.” Her soothing voice echoed throughout his center.
“Thank you, Eliza.”
“So, Varka-two, what was it like going off on your own mission?” Sitra asked, skipping with excitement. “Bet they weren’t expecting a master of Rage.”
“Eliza told you already?” Cole asked. Eliza’s hands suddenly withdrew from his shoulders.
“You never mind our sources.” Sitra cuffed him in the ear. “So tell us, did you tear them to pieces?”
“I couldn’t use my Rage.” Cole shifted uncomfortably, trying to stifle the memories before they could bubble up. “One of them was a priest of Grotton.” Cole felt the man’s hot, fetid breath on the back of his neck.
“How in Oberon’s backside did you get out of that one?” Sitra gasped, inspecting her munisica. “Wisdom?”
“No. Decreath had a priest working on me too. Sorronis’s priest was busy.” Cole’s stomach flipped, threatening to release the blackstouts from the flight over. Sitra looked all the more excited now.
Cole felt another gush of Passion ease his discomfort as Eliza spoke for him: “He used Passion of course. A very clever bit of magic too. Perhaps he’ll show us sometime when we’re not so busy. I think we’d better let Cole listen to the Elders and get himself caught up.”
Sitra cut her off, planting a clawed hand on Eliza’s chest. “You didn’t tell us he almost died. I know you two have your own private link, but next time Cole’s almost killed how bout you give us a little more detail?” She shot Eliza a venomous glare.
“He survived, that’s all you needed to know,” she said plainly. “I assumed Cole would rather speak for himself, if he chooses to. Besides, we don’t share everything. I never told him about the time you sneaked out and landed yourself in a tavern brawl and spent a night in jail.”
Sitra’s eyes rose with her voice. “That little scrap isn’t quite on the same scale as Cole taking on a triad of priests by his damned self. That’s life and death!”
“You fought the whole tavern, Sitra,” Eliza reminded her in a gentle tone.
Their bickering rose in tempo. Valen caught Cole’s eyes and urged him towards the Elders. “You really ought to get caught up. I don’t know what Goran’s shared with you, but from what I’ve gathered this doesn’t bode well for us.”
Cole nodded. He turned back and gave Eliza a look of gratitude. Ignoring Sitra’s tirade, she flashed him a warm smile and nudged him forward. Cole sped up to the front of the formation, noticing that Lileth’s eyes were now on him. She looked as if she wanted to say something, but drifted away when his eyes got too close. He followed her, but Roth’s booming voice cut him off.
“Cole, get your skinny ass over here and get your brief!” Roth shouted, beckoning him with a bladed hand.
Cole trotted over, passing through some invisible barrier that had been blocking Megorien’s words. He stepped on the paved path, his cape becoming measurably heavier as it shifted to a sheet of stone.
“Varka’s descendant huh?” Megorien appraised him with a look of incredulity. “If I hadn’t seen you wear a Rage-Master’s shroud then I wouldn’t have believed it. I hope the rest of you can live up to his legends. Anyway, here’s the situation as it stood a half hour ago. Our scouts are probably dead now, but they did give us a good measure of what we’re facing. There’s near a thousand Domina and not a single one of them carries less than three thralls. By that alone we can assume they have another small army of Grotton’s priests to control them all. We counted a good number of Corpulants too, between one and two hundred. Roth, your lot will have to deal with them. And Decreath’s priests.”
Roth grunted. “That’s a tall order, Battle Matron. We’ll do it, but you know you’re going to lose a good number on the ground. I wouldn’t bet on even half of your little Wisdom-squad walking away from this one. At least it will be easier to convince the rest of this city to adopt other magics after a hundred of their kids get eaten.”
“That’s a… practical way of looking at it.” Megorien faltered for a moment. “Moving on, we haven’t seen much representation from Sorronis, which is either very good or very bad. It’s safe to assume he’s got a few dozen priests at least. There’s been no sight of Colossi, but we can’t count them out either.”
“And the Harbingers?” Alvani asked. “Do you know if they’ve crowned any more?”
“I was hoping one of you could answer that.” Megorien’s eyes shifted towards Chiron.
“Sorronis has taken a Harbinger,” Chiron said. “And I’m afraid the winds carry whispers that Grotton is soon to choose as well. We may very well be facing the full measure of The Three in this valley.”
Saving The Dark Side Book 2: The Harbingers Page 46