by Ben Hale
Robar blew out his breath. "Thanks for the save."
The Swordsman issued a grunt of relief. "I'm not used to saving lives."
Robar flashed a grateful grin and pointed to the sky. "Then how about we take his?"
Indigo and the Swordsman turned together, their eyes drawn to the object floating above the rubble of Auroraq. The Aspect's white, translucent wings floated away from its body as it held the shining sword at its side. Immovable above the dust cloud, it surveyed the destruction it had wrought.
Anger filled the Swordsman. Pooling in his gut like acid, it caused him to reach up and draw his sword. His fingers tightened on the grip.
"You sure you want to do this?" Indigo asked.
"If we can't kill Alice, the least we can do is eliminate one of her generals."
"What's the plan?" Robar asked as he checked his ammunition. "I've got a few mags and grenades, but nothing else."
The Swordsman offered a grim smile. "Alice may have been immune, but the Aspect was made by an oracle, and we know your immunity affected Tess. Go to ground and stay out of sight. If it finds out you are the one making it vulnerable, you will become its target."
"What are you going to do?" Robar asked.
"Knock it from the sky," the Swordsman said.
Just as they separated, the Aspect of Justice began to move. Its work completed, it soared east. The Swordsman and Indigo launched themselves in pursuit. Rising into the sky, the Swordsman fixed his gaze on the Aspect.
Built to destroy armies, it had single-handedly razed Auroraq. To defeat it would require much more than skill with a sword. For the first time in his life, he cast the most dangerous charm in his arsenal. In a flood of images, the remorian charm empowered his memory.
The magic opened his mind, allowing him to remember every combat and fight in his life. Exploding across his recollection, he recalled even the first tumbles with his brother as a child. Armed with the knowledge of thousands of conflicts, he prepared himself for the fight of his life.
Chapter 43: The Aspect of Justice
The Swordsman glided behind the Aspect and activated the fire in his blade. Then he streaked into the Aspect's back and slammed his sword into the joint of one wing. To his dismay, his sword bounced away as if he'd struck solid steel. Spinning in the air, the Aspect swung its weapon like it was wiping a bug off its boot. The Swordsman deflected the blow with his own blade and rolled away.
The Aspect attacked with a vengeance, and in spite of the Swordsman's augmented body he was nearly cleaved in two. Spinning and dipping, he deflected a blade that was three times the size of his own. Then Indigo took advantage of the Aspect's focus.
Casting a gravity net, she attached it to the current of air she'd redirected. In an instant the Aspect was yanked downward. Like a hammer had struck it from the sky, the Aspect fell a thousand feet and smashed into the containers at the edge of the Stacks. Steel crumpled from the blow, and the Aspect crushed all three containers on its way to the ground.
Women and children fled, screaming as the Aspect rose to its feet. A flick of its sword shredded the gravity net. Then it crouched and launched into the sky—but wavered as Robar appeared below him. As if it had struck an invisible wall, it stumbled and went down, knocking another stack to the ground.
Plummeting from the sky, the Swordsman dismissed his board and slammed into the dirt. They rose and faced each other, twenty-foot angel of white magic, and assassin of the guild. The Aspect of Justice flicked its sword—and then charged.
Just as fast, the Swordsman sidestepped, allowing the shimmering white blade to pass in front of his face. Then he darted in. Rolling past its leg, he struck with all the force his amplified body could muster.
Satiny white skin split from the blade, the cut shallow yet painful. White ichor flowed from the wound as the Swordsman ducked the retaliating strike and skipped out of reach. The Aspect paused, and lowered its head to look at the shallow wound. Its grip tightened on the massive blade. Then it attacked with a fury.
The Swordsman dropped to the ground and rolled as the white blade streaked by. Then he rose and braced for the reverse. The Aspect flipped the blade over and swung back. The contact slid the Swordsman back several feet. The moment he stopped, he rolled up the blade and struck the Aspect's forearm, again drawing blood.
This time the Aspect was prepared. Yanking its sword arm back, it reached down and backhanded the Swordsman, sending him flying. He landed in a roll that returned him to his feet and raised his weapon to block. The Aspect had leapt high and brought his sword down upon the Swordsman. The impact slammed him to his knee, cracking his kneecap.
Growling through clenched teeth, he angled his sword, deflecting the Aspect's weapon to the side. As the Aspect's blade sank into the earth, the Swordsman yanked his crossbow free. The ethereal weapon erupted from the stock, and he sent two exploding bolts into its face.
The Aspect rocked back from the small explosions but recovered quickly. By then Indigo had arrived. She slammed into the Aspect's back with a gravity boulder, yanking it to the Earth. The Swordsman darted in, aiming for its neck—but the Aspect flexed its winged shoulders, snapping free of the restraints.
Diving under the wing, the Swordsman attempted to slice his sword across the hamstring, but once again his blade barely cut the skin. As he rolled away he noticed the gaping wound on the calf. After two decades of fighting with a sword, he knew how to recognize an injury from one. But what material could penetrate so deep?
He once again darted out of reach. This time beset by two foes, the Aspect fought with an even greater skill. Its huge sword spun as fast as the light from the morning sky, decimating Indigo's attacks and keeping the Swordsman at bay.
As he fought, the Swordsman noticed the Aspect favoring the uninjured leg. Now that he knew what to look for, he began to notice other injuries, each similar to the first. Then he had an idea.
Drawing his crossbow again, he darted in. The Aspect reached out to catch him, but the Swordsman leapt into a high, rolling flip that carried him over its searching hand. He bounced off the ground and jumped again, this time for its side. As he passed one of the wounds, he placed his crossbow against the injury and fired another exploding bolt.
White ichor flowed more freely as the explosion knocked the Aspect to the side. It struck an orange shipping container hard enough that the ones above it rocked. The Aspect righted itself in time to block the Swordsman's second bolt.
"Aim for the wounds!" the Swordsman shouted, and pressed the attack.
Across from him, Indigo cast a fire lance and launched it into the calf wound. It too detonated, causing the Aspect to fall to its knees. The Swordsman attacked in a blazing combination, driving through the hasty attempt to stop him and leaping high. Roaring his anger, he raised his sword and plunged his blade into the largest wound, the one in its side.
The Aspect issued its first sound, but it was not of pain. The Swordsman was already turning to jump away, but even his magically amplified body could not escape the Aspect's trap. Catching the Swordsman around the chest, it turned and hurled him away. Then it charged Indigo. In a flurry of blinding strikes, it decimated her defenses and cut her down. She screamed as the blade crushed her gravity shield and nearly severed her leg. She too was slapped away.
The Swordsman skipped down the alley between containers and slammed into the one at the end. He cried out as his spine snapped, and the feeling from his legs evaporated. With blood dripping from the wound in his forehead and fighting to breathe, he couldn't warn Robar.
"He's trying . . . to draw . . . you out . . ."
The words came out in a pained rasp, but never reached his brother's ears. As the Aspect glided toward the Swordsman, Robar stepped into view and opened fire, raking its flank with controlled bursts. Issuing a rumble of triumph, the Aspect turned to him. Robar darted away as it lunged.
The Swordsman screamed as his healing spell reconnected his spine, and the pain from his legs reached
his brain. He fell to the ground and tried to crawl after the Aspect, knowing in his gut it was too late.
How had he not seen it? The Aspect had recognized the presence of a weakening agent, and from the beginning of the fight sought to draw it out. Every feint, every move, had been to create an opportunity to strike. And the Swordsman had taken the bait. With his remorian charm active he should have seen it.
Now he saw the conflict from the Aspect's side. It had allowed the Swordsman close so he could see the wound, and then slowed a fraction so he could strike the wound with his crossbow. Then it had stumbled, leaving an opening the Swordsman would not be able to resist. All had been a ruse to draw Robar out of hiding.
And it had worked.
Agony lanced through the Swordsman's body as he dragged himself after the Aspect. The healing spell gradually took affect, but the Swordsman knew it would be too late. Hissing through his teeth, he grasped the edge of a container and forced himself to his feet. Then he caught up his sword and activated his air board.
The board ground into the dirt as it expanded, but it carried him into the air. He bit his lip to keep from crying out from the pressure on his legs and accelerated after the conflict. Robar had led the Aspect out of sight, but it was easy to follow the trail of destruction.
Two-ton shipping containers had been sliced like bread, and the pieces had been ripped apart as the Aspect searched for Robar. Civilian bodies littered the ground, their postures indicating they had been watching the battle and had been too slow to flee.
The Swordsman streaked over the dead until he saw the Aspect. By then the pain in his body had been reduced to a stabbing ache, allowing room for fear and anger. He gripped his sword and accelerated toward the battle.
Caught in a corner between stacks of containers, Robar had nowhere else to go. Stalking through the hail of gunfire, the Aspect raised its sword and struck with a lightning blow, sending Robar to the ground. The Aspect flicked its blade, and the light emanating from it seemed to swell with victory. Then it turned and glided away.
Weak and trembling, Robar's arm raised and threw a small object at the Aspect. Just as the angel lifted off the ground, the C4 detonated. The Aspect briefly disappeared in a ball of fire, and then crashed into a container from the concussive blast. The large dent caused the ones above it to collapse downward. Metal rang out in a cacophony of grinding screeches as the containers landed on top of the Aspect.
The Swordsman arced around the blast as a surge of heated air washed over him. Then he slid to a stop against his brother and fell to his knees. His sword slipped from his numb fingers as he witnessed the extent of the wound. His face white and spattered with blood, Robar forced a weak smile.
"I'm sorry," he mumbled.
The Swordsman removed his cloak and placed it on the enormous gash. Then he put pressure on it. The blood welled up beneath, soaking through the material. Anger surged through the Swordsman.
"I told you to stay out of sight."
"I couldn't let him have you," Robar said. "You're my brother." He reached a trembling hand up, and the Swordsman took it.
The Swordsman felt the fading strength in his fingers, and a helpless rage engulfed him. Like a caged animal, it roared inside him. In silence he watched his brother take his last breaths and knew there was nothing that could save him. Magic would have no affect, and no surgeon could repair what the Aspect had done.
Indigo alighted next to him and slid down the container wall. Her hands joined his as they put pressure on the soaked cloak. Her eyes met the Swordsman's, and his heart broke. Her face was a mask of blood and dirt, and her clothes were rent and torn. The Swordsman had chosen the target, and this was his fault.
"Robar . . ." the Swordsman's throat tightened, and he couldn't finish.
Robar shook his head. "Not anymore. I found my home . . . and my family. I want to die as Robert."
Then Robert released his hand and touched the Swordsman's blade. "Give me your sword," he whispered.
The Swordsman lifted the hilt, and Robert weakly nudged the cloak aside. He placed his hand in his own seeping blood and then lifted it to the Swordsman's weapon. With his last remaining strength, he coated the blade.
"This is what I was born for," he whispered. "To help you finish this. My blood . . . and your blade . . ."
Overcome with emotion, the Swordsman nodded, and Robert's gaze lifted to Indigo. "Take care of him for me."
"I promise," Indigo murmured, her voice filled with anger and regret.
As the light faded, he smiled, "I never stopped missing you . . ."
His eyes closed, and the tension in his body relaxed. The Swordsman stared at the body of his brother, fighting the hurricane of emotions. Lost and then found, Robert had been the only family the Swordsman ever cared about.
Indigo touched his arm, and the Swordsman's eyes flicked to meet hers. "It may have the name . . . but you are the Aspect of Justice," she said. "Don't let it kill any more innocents."
Guilt, anger, and grief all fought for prominence, but ultimately rage burnt the others to oblivion. Gripping his sword, he rose to his feet and turned to the Aspect. It had lifted the containers off, and was now climbing free. The Swordsman began to advance.
"What are you going to do?" Indigo called.
"I'm going to kill it," the Swordsman growled, and cast every spell in his arsenal.
He gritted his teeth against the magic exploding across his frame. Strength, speed, and agility filled his limbs until they trembled with power. His senses magnified, and his reflexes became augmented. His natural healing ability spiked, sealing his lingering wounds. Then he surged into motion.
Racing even faster than he could fly, the Swordsman reached the downed container and leapt. Sprinting up its angled side, he reached the top and lunged. Just as the Aspect glided past, the Swordsman brought his sword down with all his might—severing one of the Aspect's wings from its body.
Releasing a bone-chilling cry of pain and surprise, the Aspect tumbled away and slammed into the dirt. Before it could recover the Swordsman closed. His blood-coated blade blurred into motion, driving past even the Aspect's skilled defense. Time and again the Aspect bellowed, unable to escape the Swordsman's wrath.
Their battle spilled to the side, and the Swordsman pursued with relentless fury. Bounding into the air, the Swordsman glided to the top of a container and leapt the thirty-foot gap to the next stack. He rolled as he landed, and then jumped again.
His bloodied sword came down again, and the Aspect lost its other wing. Shrieking its rage, the Aspect turned on the Swordsman and attacked with unmatched skill and power. Its sword chipped the Swordsman's blade with every contact as it drove him back. Then the Swordsman felt his back touch the container, and the Aspect lunged.
Its blade streaked toward the assassin's heart—but the Swordsman was no longer there. This time the Aspect had fallen for his trap, and its massive blade pierced the container's wall. The Swordsman darted forward. With both hands on the hilt, he released a mighty roar and swung his into the Aspect's wrist.
With the blood of his fallen brother, the Swordsman's blade cut deep, nearly severing the Aspect's hand. Its fingers went limp and it stumbled back with a shrieking hiss. The Swordsman dropped his sword and yanked the Aspect's blade from the container. In a screech of metal on magic it came free, and then the Swordsman attacked.
Dragging the white blade, he took four steps and swung. As the Aspect fell backward, the Swordsman activated his board and drove between its arms. The colossal sword pierced its chest and sank deep, pinning it to the container behind.
The Aspect went rigid. Like a roaring hurricane, it released a cry of ultimate pain—and then began to fade. Its magic unsealed, the Aspect of Justice lost the light that had been its life. Its white satiny skin turned to sickly gray, and it's now tattered cloak turned to ash. Its hood turned translucent as it evaporated, revealing features contorted with shock. Its face blackening, it no longer resembled an angel. O
nly the sword remained bright, and held the darkened angel pinned to the steel container as the Swordsman retrieved his own sword. Its mighty power gone, the war ender disintegrated.
Chapter 44: Into the Dark
"Come on, Iris," Tess said. "We need someone who has been there."
"I'm working on it," Iris said, her tone annoyed. "There are more than 3,500 people who've made it to the top of Mt. Everest, and the Dark has killed most of them. Scott, have you tracked down the list I sent you—fine, get working on these—Uri, are you sure—Well where is this Pearson . . . ?"
"I should contact Derek," Tess said. "He might know the answer—"
"No," Iris said suddenly, and caught her arm.
The sharpness to her tone caused Tess to look at her. "Iris? What aren't you telling me?"
Iris grimaced. "I can't find him. He's just gone."
"What do you mean, he's gone?"
"He disappeared a few hours ago. Brody and the others can't find him either."
Tess closed her eyes, her gut tightening with worry. Where could he be?
Then Iris jerked her head. "He's where?"
"You found Derek?" Tess asked in a rush.
Iris shook her head. "Captain Pearson. He got trapped defending the Arc. They didn't make it out."
"The summit will have changed since we built the Arc," Siarra said, "so we cannot go on memory. We will have to use its Halo Gate as an exit."
"What about Derek?" Tess asked.
"I'll find him," Iris said. "Now go."
Tess nodded to her friend and did her best to set aside her worry. Connecting to the Arc Gate, Tess and Siarra opened the portal in unison. An instant later they burst through a large white Gate above the Arc. Walls of Dark rose up on all sides, allowing only a column of sunlight to shine down on the summit.