Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Elade walking over towards her. Since the end of the evening’s battle, the paladin had been carrying bodies to the infirmary and using her powers to heal them. At first, no one had trusted her—Torsia was rife with rumors of vaeyn viciousness and depravity, after all—but at this point half the rebels in the compound probably owed her their lives, including Sarina herself.
“You saved a lot of lives last night,” Elade said, smiling tightly.
Sarina scoffed. “I should have been out there earlier. Maybe I could have gotten to the guy before he did this.”
“That might not have changed things for the better.” Elade tilted her gaze to the wounded. “He might have caught and killed you alone.”
“I doubt that,” Sarina replied quickly, though even to her ears it sounded more like stubborn pride than anything else. She had taken out four of the Zarul infiltrators on her own before running into their leader. Unfortunately, she’d proven no match for him. The silent admission annoyed her, but she decided there was no point in lying to herself about it. He had taken her down, and in some crazed display of chivalry, Jason had apparently tried to use the cube to destroy him. Now he was in a coma facing imminent death.
“Regardless, what is done is done,” Elade said after a moment before sagging wearily to the ground.
Sarina said nothing for a long moment, her mind drifting and her eyes losing focus. She tried to picture the rest of the night’s battle in her head based on what Elade had told her earlier.
“Would the Imperator have killed me if Jason hadn’t intervened?” she asked quietly, crouching down next to the other woman.
“Maybe.”
“But you’re not certain.”
The vaeyn’s blue eyes flashed. “He caught me by surprise. I was wounded and had to fall back to recover. He used that time to threaten the two of you.”
“Did the cube even delay him at all?”
“A little.”
Sarina grinned wryly. “It’s okay to admit Jason made a bad choice. It wouldn’t exactly surprise me.”
Elade returned the smile, strained thought it was. “I’m not going to judge him for it. He did what he felt was right to save someone he cares about.”
In other words, yes, Sarina thought to herself. She closed her eyes and shook her head. At this point, she was mostly just annoyed with herself. Asgardians were fierce and brutal warriors, but pride was their most vital organ. A huntress of her age was supposed to be self-sufficient and cunning—and most of the time, she was. But she had gotten overconfident with the Crell leader. In the clarity of retrospect, his setup had been far too obvious. He had left himself in a vulnerable position despite the fact he knew his people were being picked off one by one. She should have been patient and waited or done something else he wouldn’t have expected.
“I shouldn’t have put you in that position—either of you,” Sarina said after a moment. “It’s not a mistake I’ll repeat.”
Elade raised an eyebrow. “There’s nothing to regret. You took out most of his squad all by yourself. Without your help, they would have killed—”
“I’m not interested in platitudes,” Sarina snapped back. She shook her head in annoyance again and brought herself to her feet. She had dwelt on this too long already; it was time to move on. “You saved my life. I won’t forget it.”
Elade eyed her curiously. “While you’re busy remembering that, you should also remember that he tried to save it, too.”
Sarina followed her gaze to Jason. She had been taught to value those who fought from the heart. Battles only held glory when they stirred passions, after all, and Jason was a passionate man in his own way. He might not have had an over-arching cause in the world, but he did fight for the people he cared about. As flattering as it was to think he had done this solely for her, he probably would have done it for any of the others, too. It was what made him the man that he was, and one of the reasons she had fallen in love with him the first time.
“I will,” Sarina murmured, then turned and went outside to help Gor finish preparing the rest of the supplies.
***
Tevek Dracian, Highlord of the Last Dawn, looked down at the mighty broadsword resting on the table in front of him. He had wielded this weapon for over thirty years now; the Aether-infused steel had survived hundreds of battles and several major wars. Its impossibly sharp edge had cleaved the limbs from wicked men, and its glimmering tip had pierced the hearts of foul demons. This blade, aptly named Temperance, bore a powerful legacy of service, sacrifice, and restraint.
And yet as Tevek’s fingers slowly curled about the grip, it was as if he were lifting its weight for the first time. He couldn’t feel it’s movements as if it were an extension of his body; he couldn’t see the aura of Aetheric energy sharpening and strengthening the metal. All he could see was a heavy piece of steel held by a scared, broken man who had never felt so alone in all his life.
“How is the head?”
Sighing, he glanced over his shoulder to Elade. Her smile was warm, but her aura was cold. He could no longer see the Aether flowing off and through her, nor could he feel its currents binding them together.
“Better,” Tevek managed. “I owe you my life. So does everyone else here.”
Her smile faded. Dozens of people had probably told her the same thing already, and she was obviously long past sick of hearing it. Still, it was the truth: without her, the cube would almost assuredly be in the Zarul’s hands, and Jason and many others would be dead. Tevek had been proud of her from the first moment he had taken her to the Citadel, and she had proven herself many times over at places like Serogar.
But today was different. Today she might have saved an entire continent. And if not for his selfish decision to send her to protect Jason, this entire catastrophe might have been avoided altogether. He had known that the Crell would attack the compound first, and he wanted to be there to defend it himself. But if Elade had been here instead of him the battle would have been over almost before it began. She would have defeated the Crell Imperator right away, and Tevek and Selvhara would likely still have their powers.
“Any word yet from Gabriel?” he whispered, turning away and biting down on his lip in disgust. He had never been one to dwell on regrets, and now seemed like a poor time to start.
“The knights and the Solarian troops are set to leave within the hour,” Elade said. “Adar believes we’ll have everyone moved into a new safe-house by the time they arrive in the city.”
“Good. Hopefully the Crell won’t be able to mount another attack by then.”
“If they do, I’ll be ready for them,” she promised, her voice surprisingly cold.
Tevek glanced back to study her. Her face was hard and her glowing eyes were narrowed dangerously. She clearly blamed herself for what had happened to him, as foolish as that was.
“This wasn’t your fault, Elade,” he told her. “You saved—”
“I should have been there for you,” she cut him off with a wave of her hand. “I could have stopped him before he did…this.”
“We had no way of knowing the Crell possessed this kind of power,” Tevek reminded her. “And it was my decision to send you away.”
Elade didn’t reply, but she didn’t need to. Ever since she had been knighted at Serogar—and ever since age had begun to take a more vicious toll upon him—she had considered herself the Highlord’s personal protector. She accompanied him virtually everywhere he went, and even though she would never actually say it, she worried about his health and safety. A different man might have felt patronized or emasculated, but Tevek never had. He didn’t allow his pride to blind him to the reality that his own skills were waning even as hers were waxing.
She had come a long way since he had rescued her battered body from that warehouse in Tauros. And not just physically—even back then she had already been one of the most powerful warriors he had ever met. But emotionally, she had healed from her uns
peakable trauma in a way that few others could. She had adopted the ideals of the Dawn and blended them with the pragmatism of the vaeyn. The result was the woman he saw before him, bloodied and haunted but never defeated. A true Knight of the Last Dawn…even if the others couldn’t always see it.
“If you’re ready, I think we should start moving the patients who can walk,” Elade said into his reverie. “Adar wants us to take different paths and travel in separate groups even though we’ll mostly be walking underground— better safe than sorry, I suppose.”
“It’s for the best,” Tevek replied. “We drove them off, but the Coats will be back for Jason soon enough.”
She frowned and lowered her voice. “Maybe, but now that you’re up there are some things I wished to ask you. I still haven’t been able to figure out why the city watch hasn’t pounced on this opportunity. And how in the hell have these people survived here so long? They weren’t prepared for an attack by even a handful of Bound.”
“The Crell want them here,” he reasoned. “Even the Zarul could have been more destructive if they’d wished. This was a surgical strike designed to get what they wanted and flush out a few important targets, not to wipe out the Resistance wholesale.”
“Which makes no sense. They wanted the cube, sure, but why would they pass up an opportunity to wipe out the rebels while they’re at it?”
Tevek nodded. “That’s the real question here. What do the Crell have to gain by allowing an active rebellion inside one of Galvia’s largest cities?”
Elade sighed. “It weakens their standing image with the populace and even threatens to destabilize the rest of the country. People across the Imperium will hear of the insurrection here and start to get ideas of their own.”
“And if the Alliance starts to believe that the Galvians have a chance, it gives them an excuse to start funneling supplies across the border.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Maybe that’s it. Maybe the Crell want to use the rebels as bait to get the Alliance to commit forces despite the peace treaty.”
“That seems like an overly elaborate ruse to start a war,” Tevek murmured. “Nothing is stopping the Crell from invading right now. They already have forces in position.”
“Baiting the Solarians would be better politics. The Sovereigns must know that if they just up and invade, they risk a possible counterattack from the Asgardians.”
“And potentially the Talishites, who are undoubtedly still riled up about the Crell incursion last year.”
Elade brushed a few loose strands of white hair from her eyes. “I just don’t see how delaying an invasion is going to change any of those calculations. Opportunists are going to pounce regardless.”
“There’s something else going on, and I suspect Adar might know what it is,” Tevek told her. “Others might too; I can’t imagine many being so deluded to believe they’re defeating a superior opponent.”
“Desperate people want to believe in anything, but you’re probably right. There have to be others. We just need to find out who they are.”
“Sadly, spying and interrogation are somewhat beyond our realm of expertise.”
“Yours, maybe,” Elade said with a wry grin. “Not all of us were born paladins.”
“I knew you were holding out on me,” Tevek muttered.
She shrugged. “I should be able to snoop around the city at night without being detected. I would ask Sarina to help, but I’m not certain we can trust her loyalties.”
He pursed his lips. “I admit I never expected her to join up with the rebels. But if push comes to shove, I know she would side with her friends. According to Sel, she and Jason are…close.”
“Mm,” Elade murmured, glancing back over her shoulder to the unconscious man. “I wish I could do more for him. I can feel the turbulence in his mind, but I’m afraid I’ve never been much of a telepath.”
“Even if you were, I’m not sure it would matter. His mind will have to work this out on its own.”
“It will. He’s stronger than he looks.”
“I hope so,” Tevek said gravely. “If he dies…”
“Then everything will fall apart,” Elade whispered. “The rebels will turn on each other in a heartbeat.”
“Yes.” He glanced over to Selvhara’s cot. “Frankly, I’m a little surprised it hasn’t descended into chaos yet. Even back when Ethan was alive and the Resistance was strong, I think Sel was the one who actually held everything together. She might have been an outsider, but everyone respected her.”
Elade placed a hand on his shoulder. “You love her, don’t you?”
He sighed. “Yes, and she loves Jason. He’s the son she never had.”
“Hopefully she can return home to Calhara with you and restore her bond. I’m sure it will take a while to get all the way back to Sorthaal, but I’m sure there’s a portal—”
“She can’t go back,” Tevek said, wincing. “She’s an exile.”
Elade frowned. “Then why was she allowed to keep her Ascendant bond?”
“The faeyn don’t strip powers from their Bound lightly. Remember, they don’t have a centralized Ascendant; they receive their powers from the lingering spirit of Anvira.” He raised an eyebrow. “I assumed you would know more about your cousins.”
“Do you know the details of every human civilization?” she countered with a shrug. “Vaeyn are taught very little about others, unfortunately.”
Tevek sighed. “I feel like a shell of the man I was just a few days ago, but Sel has been bonded for over two-hundred years. I can’t imagine what it will be like for her when she finally awakens…”
“She’ll manage,” Elade said, squeezing his arm. “She must be a strong woman or you’d never have fallen in love with her.”
“The strongest,” he agreed. “I’m a lucky man to be surrounded by all these strong and beautiful women.”
Elade snorted but leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. “We should get moving. And you need to figure out how you’re going to get back to Celenest.”
“I should stay here until the reinforcements arrive. Just in case.”
“Just in case what? You’re not going to fight anyone off in your condition.”
“At the very least, I’m staying until Sel is awake.”
“All right,” Elade said. “But until then, we need to get you moved and back in bed, old man.”
He snorted. “I take back all the nice things I just said about you.”
She wrapped her hand around his waist to help him walk. “Come on, this way.”
Chapter Two
“If you cannot defeat your enemies, make your enemies defeat themselves.”
—Shol T’son, Yamatan General, 1439 AG
Krystia Tharule blinked wearily and stretched her arms before a familiar annoying hum from her nightstand caught her attention. She sat up too quickly and immediately regretted it when her head started spinning. It took several moments for her to remember what was going on.
Her plush couch was empty; Darius must have left before dawn or maybe even slipped out last night. It wasn’t all that unusual for him, given the demands on his schedule, but they had both gotten impressively drunk. He had taken her roughly over the edge of the desk and then again upon the clothes-strewn floor, but afterwards they had both passed out on her bed. She glanced to the tall-case clock and noted it was just after six—why would Ethan be trying to contact her so early?
Yawning and lumbering tiredly over to her nightstand, Krystia reached out to the Aether and channeled its purifying energies into her body. By the time she opened the lock and retrieved the calling crystal, her head had cleared and she felt more refreshed than she had in days. She took a quick moment to fix her hair before setting the crystal on the desk and energizing it with her power. Ethan’s image soon materialized inside it.
“I hope I’m not interrupting anything important,” he said, his voice as cold as ever.
“Not really. I was actually planning on contacting you later
today.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Well, you won’t be able to, not for several days.”
“Going somewhere?”
“Yes, in fact,” he said. “I’m coming to see you again.”
Krystia frowned. “Considering what just happened, this seems like a particularly bad time for you to leave. Aren’t you worried about holding your position in Lyebel?”
“We’ll be fine. I presume the Highlord’s minions informed you about the details of what happened?”
“Yes,” she replied gravely. Half the reason she’d gotten so drunk last night was to try and forget about it. “I can’t believe Tevek lost his ability to channel…”
“So has Selvhara,” Ethan whispered, an uncharacteristic twinge of concern in his voice. “They’re both fortunate to even be alive.”
Krystia nodded distantly. Her mind flickered back to the siege at Fort Isen all those years ago. The elysian druid had fought to protect the refugees from the Crell, and she had sealed them inside the mountain pass to wait for reinforcements. Tevek had always been fond of her…and now they were both broken, both physically and mentally.
“Severing an Ascendant bond,” Krystia whispered. “It seems impossible.”
“Yes,” Ethan murmured. “If the Crell have a new channeling technique at their disposal, then it becomes all the more imperative for us to accelerate our plans. My hope is that only a few of their Imperators possess the knowledge. We captured the one responsible, and an interrogation might tell us more.”
She scoffed. “I’m surprised you don’t want to stay there to conduct it yourself.”
“I would if I could, believe me.” He pressed his lips into a tight line. “The vaeyn was the one who ultimately defeated the Crell, and thankfully she still has her powers. Unfortunately, her presence means that my minions are now officially a liability. Adar and the others will have to defend Jason on their own.”
The Godswar Saga (Omnibus) Page 47