Blood Alliance

by Connie Suttle

  "What about the pull the Prophet has on us?" Denevik asked.

  "Ah, High Demon, he never expected any of your kind. Turn and destroy whatever you can, while protecting those you love."

  "If he didn't want or expect High Demons, how was I chosen?" Denevik asked another question.

  "I've told you that we manipulated a few things. That was one of them."

  "When are we going? Do we need to wear more suitable clothing?"

  "I will dress all of us," Zaria said, before standing and forming light about us.

  "Cool," Drew breathed against my cheek. "I can't see anything except everybody's head."

  We were now dressed in something sturdy and light, and what it covered became invisible. I should have known she'd keep the knowledge of that technology, in case it was needed again. She'd transformed it into clothing, rather than a device. This was much more useful.

  "Your suits have hoods—pull them all the way up and over your face," Zaria said. "The visor at the front will allow you to see your companions, and there is space at the bottom to let you breathe."

  I did as she asked, and everyone now became fully visible to me.

  "Stand," Tenigar commanded.

  We stood.

  Prepare yourselves for what is to come, he added in mindspeech. From now on, this is the only form of communication you should use until this is over.

  Even though we were hidden by suits rendering us transparent, I employed my mist to cover all of us as the Wise Ones moved us from the protection of the facility. Once we were away from it, the pull on Drew and the others became obvious.

  Hold onto those with spirit coins, Graegar shouted mentally before we were all dragged into a wormhole.

  P'loxett

  V'dar

  "They're coming," P'loxett appeared next to me with a shriek.

  "Which ones?" I was prepared to relocate to my lab and place heavy obsessions.

  "All of them," P'loxett's voice remained shrill. "All of them!"

  I yanked the spikes representing five of my strongest rogues off my shoulder. I need your help, I snapped at them. Materialize and protect me! Then, snatching P'loxett by the collar, I folded space to my lab. It could take all of us to corral several powerful beings without harming them—until they were properly obsessed and under my control.

  Lissa

  As instructed, I only released the five who bore spirit coins first. Somehow, Zaria controlled their suits and made them visible to those appearing in the lab to take them—five rogue gods and two others, one of whom was the Prophet.

  Who was the other one?

  Attack! Tenigar shouted.

  Randl Gage

  V'dar was my target. I leveled a blast at him that should have shaken him to the core. Instead, the blast split and curved around a shield he'd built around himself, before hitting the wall behind him. The blast I'd fired continued through wall after wall of a massive compound, so large I couldn't see past the first few walls into thick darkness.

  We were underground, somewhere.

  "Show yourself, Randl Gage," V'dar shouted a challenge. Nearby, others had begun fighting the rogue gods, most of whom, no doubt, had assisted with the shield V'dar hid behind.

  More walls collapsed, around us, raining debris into the room like flakes of dark snow. I imagined that someone in our party was now holding the space together with power, to keep who knew what from caving in on us. Shards of glass hit shields with tinkling sounds as the compound groaned beneath us.

  Multi-leveled. We were standing in an underground compound; who knew how many levels it contained.

  Perhaps it was built to withstand bombs. It wasn't meant to contain a battle between gods and the powerful.

  I hadn't fired a second blast at V'dar, who'd now chosen to use the rogue gods as additional shielding.

  Coward, I hissed at him in mindspeech.

  He flung himself from between two rogues and fired a blast at me that blew out the entire section of his compound with a deafening rumble. His attack left us standing on an invisible, power-built floor while levels above and below us became visible when the dust and debris cleared.

  Anyone with vertigo was probably feeling ill right now, as V'dar prepared to level another blast. I beat him to it, firing one of my own. It threw him back against his rogues, shield and all.

  I thought the noise and fury of the battle around me couldn't get worse. I found I was wrong.

  Reah

  The moment the surrounding walls were blasted away, we were attacked from every side by the Prophet's soldiers. All of them bore some type of weapon, including ranos rifles. With a roar, Tory's Thifilathi tore a rifle away from a man and crushed it in his hands while the man attacked his legs with a knife and burst into flames.

  Burn them, I shouted at Ocenosek and Cudworth. Both had landed in High Demon form; I was grateful they were hidden from our attackers by the suits Zaria provided. It didn't stop the waves of the Prophet's army from firing blindly, however.

  Denevik followed Tory, knocking dozens of attackers away with wide sweeps of his Thifilathi's arms. Screaming and burning, they flew past the boundaries of the invisible floor and fell into an inky abyss. Keep them safe, I whispered to whomever might be listening and waded into the fray, cleaning up whatever got around the others.

  Somewhere, far on the other side of this massive laboratory-turned-cavern, Randl engaged the Prophet.

  In-between, Lissa and the others fought rogue gods and whatever else was sent against them, while protecting those who carried spirit coins.

  Where were Zaria and the Larentii? I hadn't seen them since our arrival; I'd only heard Tenigar's mindspeech at the beginning, and then nothing more.

  I'm hit, Denevik said. Cudworth, too. Ranos blasts.

  I'm coming, I told them, and waded through a growing pile of bodies, which burned behind me as I forced my way forward.

  Lissa

  Liron had chosen well; these rogues were powerful themselves, and together, even more powerful. Either he'd taught them to work together as one, or they'd learned it from the Prophet.

  Gavin, Drake, Drew and I continued to fire blasts at them, chipping away at a shield so thick it could take days to break through.

  Ry was also contributing as much as he could to our efforts, although I could tell the weight of the spirit coin was draining him rapidly. Trik stood beside him, in much the same shape but lending his wizard's power to Ry to form more powerful blasts. Morrett had turned to his scaled and fanged alter-ego to slash at the armed attackers flooding into the space, much like cockroaches would after the lights went out.

  For now, the shields I'd flung around them were working; bullets and ranos blasts threaded horizontally through the cavern like hurricane-driven rain. I'd long since dimmed the cacophony of sounds; there were loud booms whenever a power blast was detonated, amid the softer whines of bullets or ranos fire and the screams of the Prophet's troops as they died.

  Where was Rajeon?

  For that matter, where were Zaria and the Wise Ones? I hadn't seen any of them since before we landed here.

  Also, who was the seventh man who'd come inside this space with the Prophet and his rogues, who still cowered behind them? The Prophet's army was expendable; why wasn't he?

  Alken Wilker

  Take what you were instructed to transport and go to the new location, the Prophet shouted into Gillen's, Qatti's and my mind. Je'Dik and the daggers first!

  We had no choice but to obey.

  "Come on, we have to get you out of here," I snapped at Je'Dik, who growled back at me.

  "Do you want to live or not?" Qatti's hiss made Je'Dik recoil. From our secure shelter on the opposite end of the compound, we could hear the boom of fired blasts, and experienced the occasional shaking ground that accompanied it.

  "Look at him; he wants to fight," Gillen laughed at Je'Dik. "You're not quite ready yet, youngling. There's so much more for the Prophet to teach you, before you become the terror
that he desires. Take him and the daggers," Gillen told me. "Qatti and I will be right behind you with the weapons and selected troops."

  Without another word, I hauled Je'Dik and the crate of daggers to the new compound on G'margis. As hard as P'loxett had been to find, G'margis would be far more difficult for an enemy to locate.

  "Your new home," I swept an arm out to encompass the concrete-and-metal room about us. "Get used to the cold."

  Rylend Morphis

  At first, the pull was so subtle, neither Kwark nor I noticed.

  Until it became painful.

  Come, the voice instructed. You are mine, now, it added.

  P'loxett! Kwark begged. Do not do this—I beg you!

  He's trying to take us, Morrett's mindspeech was filled with agony.

  I cannot fight him much longer, Trik wailed.

  Stay strong, Drew sent, although I recognized the pain in his words, too.

  P'loxett. A dead planet.

  Not so dead, Kwark wailed. If he takes us, we will never be ourselves again.

  I'm fading, Morrett's sending was filled with terror. He's taking us! He's taking us!

  Lissa

  Without warning, we became visible, as if our suits had suddenly stopped working. Weapons were fired with more accuracy as we struggled to destroy the massing army about us, all while battling five rogue gods who now threatened to gain the upper hand.

  Turning my head, I watched a slow smile spread across the Prophet's face.

  I blinked, and the blink took forever.

  Noooo! I said as the Prophet slowly disappeared. The man behind him began to disappear with him, until—wait.

  Diamond thorns closed around the unidentified man, somehow preventing him from going with the Prophet.

  Would the Prophet return for him, or was he leaving without turning back?

  Randl's shout of rage rang through my mind; his quarry had escaped.

  The explosion bloomed around us—small at first, as if time had slowed even further. The rogue gods were still lofting blasts against us; I watched as they bloomed and exploded against my shields without sound.

  Rajeon's thorns tightened ever so slowly about the man he'd captured, until the prisoner opened his mouth in a silent shriek of pain.

  Tenigar and the other Wise Ones, with Zaria beside them, appeared behind the rogue gods who fought on, buying time for the Prophet to make his exit. I imagined they had plans to escape, too, as the explosions around us grew.

  The Prophet was destroying his compound, and likely the planet that held it, too.

  With eyes widening as slowly as possible, I watched another Larentii appear. One I didn't recognize.

  Everything stopped. None of us moved—I found we couldn't. Something held us in place, and no exertion of power could prevent it.

  Then, as if we'd been sliced out of the events that had stopped around us, we were removed from the scene of battle. Only my mind kept moving; my limbs were frozen in place.

  Even Rajeon's diamond thorns had stopped tightening around his captive, although I saw blood on the victim's neck. If time ever resumed, the man's head would be shaved clean from his neck and shoulders.

  With breath stopped and nothing moving around me, I saw the Wise Ones, Zaria, and the unknown Larentii break away from their paralysis.

  Tenigar moved behind the rogues, before looking back and nodding at Zaria.

  Did Zaria have tears in her eyes? My vision from that distance wasn't sharp enough to tell for sure.

  Tenigar grew larger, and larger still, until his arms could encompass five rogue gods.

  And then—no.

  No. Gods, no.

  Chapter 20

  Zaria

  Hurry; you must do this, Meligar commanded. I wept openly as I butted two timelines together, just as one of my mothers could do.

  In this, I was following her template, although when she employed this trick, she hadn't had the help of any Larentii.

  Now! Meligar insisted.

  With a sob, I sent Tenigar, who was even now turning himself and the physical bodies of five rogue gods to sparks, into the time before any of them existed.

  Flecks of gold swirled through, magnified by my tears.

  I had to wait until the last spark of gold left this timeline before I ended the connection, and when it winked into the darkness, I shut the connection down and dropped to my knees. Shuddering sobs shook my body as I mourned the loss of the eldest Larentii Wise One.

  Behind us, a shriek cut off; the movement of time had been restored and Rajeon had completed his task—that of removing P'loxett's head from his shoulders.

  "Do not weep, I beg you." I'd never heard his voice before—but recognized it all the same. Then, he was kneeling beside me, gathering me in his arms.

  "I can't help it," I whimpered.

  "It was the only way, Mother," he soothed. "Tenigar planned it all along."

  "Zaria?" Lissa lowered herself beside me. "We have wounded that are still in stasis."

  "I will help," Graegar offered.

  "I'll come, too, Father," Garegar said.

  "Here," Lissa offered me a handkerchief.

  Zarigar accepted it and began to wipe my tears. "Father will be upset if he finds you've been crying," he told me gently.

  "Can somebody please explain what just happened?" Lissa asked. "Why are you calling her mother? Why are we where we are, and where is that, exactly?"

  "We are situated in a slice of time that has been removed from all else," Meligar leaned down to lift Lissa and me to our feet. "Thanks to my grandson, here."

  "That's not possible," Lissa frowned at Meligar.

  "It wasn't before. It's possible now," Zarigar informed her. "It requires the ability to compress time, and then remove that pocket of time from its own timeline. I've been forced to do this several times, now, to save lives and rush the Prophet's plans, creating mistakes and hardships for him. Had we not destroyed P'loxett, then he would have continued to kill planets and gather recruits for the Prophet's cause."

  "He intended to use Rylend and the others as generals for his conquering armies," I finally spoke, although my voice wobbled. "P'loxett promised him this."

  "You mean a world spirit went rogue, too?"

  "Yes," Zarigar replied.

  "I suppose your talent for compressing time explains your shortened gestation period?" Lissa asked him.

  "It was necessary. I regret the suffering it caused my mother and father."

  "We all worried about you," Lissa grumped at him.

  "I know. I hope this makes up for it."

  "How do we get back, now? Does the Prophet believe he won this round?" Randl walked up, brushing debris off his clothing.

  "He may believe that for a while," Zarigar answered. "I arranged for there to be signs of no survival after the planet was destroyed. That includes his rogues. It is my hope that this will make him easier to find next time, Reviendus."

  "He'll be looking for revenge," I said, reaching out to touch Randl's arm. "While he may have hidden himself well, when he learns you survived, he'll come looking for you."

  "Then I have plenty of plans to make," Randl sighed.

  "Prepare the Formidables, too," Zarigar warned. "Wars will begin across both Alliances soon; that much of the Prophet's plan remains in place. The RAA and CAA will have their hands full on multiple fronts."

  "Randl, you won't engage in those wars," I said, dropping my hand. "There is other nastiness planned, and you and your people will have to deal with that, instead."

  "When?"

  "In the future, roughly fifty years or so," Zarigar explained. "When you need a ride to that timeline, I will make myself available to you."

  "How can you do that?" Lissa asked.

  "My mother became pregnant in the future," Zarigar allowed a smile to appear. "This is the past for me."

  "Zarigar is my grandson, and Tenigar's chosen replacement among the Wise Ones," Meligar informed Lissa and Randl.

&n
bsp; "I thought he was Nefrigar's grandson," Lissa said.

  "He is that, too," Meligar conceded. "Wisdom and I will have a conversation soon—about stolen children."

  Queen's Palace, Le-Ath Veronis

  Lissa

  Two weeks have passed since we left Zarigar's slice of time behind. Nissa and Toff were waiting here at the palace as I and my bunch arrived, bringing Trik with us. He still bore the spirit coin of Murazal, who'd been healed by Zaria and the Wise Ones.

  Drew carried Falchan, which caused even his father, grandfather and uncles to dip their heads in respect.

  Ry and Kwark were now having teasing battles upon occasion—after being healed, the planet's spirit showed a fine sense of humor.

  Morrett and Galk were a good pairing; Morrett was often in the kitchen, cooking, and Galk made suggestions of what spices or flavors to add to certain dishes.

  As for Denevik, who carried Corez, I heard from Tory that Corez was very pleased to be combined with a High Demon. Those two, along with Cudworth and Ocenosek, would be joining Randl soon on Sirena, to begin the search for the Prophet. The Formidables would eventually take on new roles, but for now, only Zaria, Randl and the Wise Ones knew what that would be.

  "Lunch in the arboretum?" Gavin's brown eyes warmed as he entered my study.

  "Oh, honey, I didn't even realize how hungry I was until you said lunch," I told him.

  "Then come," he held out a hand. "We will talk of good things," he added. "And not the recent troubles, or those to come."

  He was right; already there was unrest brewing on even more worlds, and I wondered how long the Prophet would play with us until he commanded his hidden recruits to openly rebel.

  "Agreed." I took his hand, and he folded us to the garden at the top of my palace.