The Godswar Saga (Omnibus)

by Jennifer Vale

  “Aren’t you supposed to be a telepath?” she asked breathily.

  He nodded and smiled. “Yeah.”

  “So then can’t you tell what I’m thinking?”

  “If I want to, yes?”

  Her legs clamped around his waist so tightly he couldn’t breathe, and she leaned up until her lips brushed against his ear. “So why aren’t you fucking me yet?”

  It was, Jason decided, the best question he had heard in a very long time, and he immediately set to correcting it.

  Chapter Twenty

  “The day will come when your people will only be remembered in history books—and then I’ll order my men to burn those, too.”

  —Crell Commander Xaranos in an open letter to Ethan Moore, 1999 AG

  Kyle Adar twirled the sword in his hand and stared down the length of the shining silver blade. The weapon was perfectly balanced, and a powerful Aetheric enchantment sharpened and strengthened the steel beyond anything a mundane forge could accomplish. Fifty more swords just like it lined the racks of the rebel’s newly created armory, and Adar couldn’t help but smile in grim satisfaction at their latest victory. Each of these weapons had been “liberated” from a Crell supply convoy outside the city just two days ago, along with several dozen matching suits of light, supple chain armor. The attack had been their biggest victory in the last six months, and they had done it all without Ethan’s help.

  And more importantly, without his demons.

  Much of the credit belonged to their new allies, of course, but Adar wasn’t about to diminish the efforts of his brave fighters who had done the bulk of the legwork. The Solarians were mostly facilitators in the effort, providing reliable communication where before they’d had none. The knights had been more direct; they had protected his soldiers on the battlefield, and the unit hadn’t taken a single casualty in the assault. In the days since, their recruitment efforts had exploded all across the city.

  Unfortunately, Ethan’s influence lingered on in the shadows, and it was making the current situation more difficult than it needed to be. The rebels had an enormous opportunity before them. With the Crell forces on the march towards Solaria, the spooked city watch had its resources spread thin across Lyebel, and both the Alliance soldiers and the Dawn knight wanted to attack the city’s central garrison directly. They believed a quick victory would inspire a full-scale rebellion and be an enormous step towards retaking their country. Even though they would be outnumbered, everyone had a renewed confidence in their ability to overwhelm a lethargic enemy.

  But they didn’t see the whole picture. If Ethan’s mission in Solaria was successful, their Alliance allies would be stripped of their powers sometime during the attack. As a result, Adar didn’t want to send his soldiers into battle, but he also couldn’t afford to tell anyone else the truth. It left him in an awkward position, and he still hadn’t figured out exactly what he was going to do.

  “It’s everything we could have wanted,” Ria commented from behind him. She was inspecting some of the crossbows they had captured, and she favored them with an approving nod. “Say what you will about the Crell, but they know how to forge a sword.”

  “Yes,” Adar agreed. “These blades are almost Last Dawn quality.”

  “Speaking of, what are you going to tell Lavonde? He still has everyone hell bent on making that attack tomorrow.”

  “Including you?”

  Ria shrugged. “The priests are a vital asset, but we can still rely on the knights for communication if we have to. As long as you assign at least one knight and one priest to a team, we would still be able to coordinate.”

  Adar smiled tightly. “You don’t think Ethan’s going to pull this off, do you?”

  Ria grunted and turned away. She was loyal to the cause and to her former general, sometimes to a fault. She had a hard time speaking ill of Ethan, even when he deserved it, and many other others probably would have felt the same way if they’d known he was still alive. But right now it was clear that her faith in Ethan’s grandiose coup had obviously waned.

  “For what it’s worth, I don’t either,” Adar told her. “But I’m not sure I want to take that risk with our soldiers.”

  “We can win either way,” Ria said. “Most of the remaining Crell soldiers are scared, middle-aged men who will surrender at the first sign of trouble.”

  “Maybe, but they still outnumber us.”

  “It doesn’t matter. They already know the city’s lost—I guarantee they’ll start running for the back door the moment we blast through the gate.”

  Adar pursed his lips and took a deep breath. Even Ria and her dour pragmatism seemed to have been infected by the hope spreading throughout the ranks. Ethan always used to tell him that victory was the ultimate panacea, and so far the axiom was proving true. Less than a week had passed since his confrontation with Jason and the others, but it already felt like it could have been a year ago. Several small-scale attacks on watch outposts and then the theft of such a large convoy had revitalized everyone, including himself. He felt like a young man again, sitting in the ranks of his nation’s army ready to fight the good fight. He believed in the cause with renewed vigor, and final victory actually seemed like a legitimate—if still distant—possibility.

  But as a leader, it was his job to keep a level head and not get swept up in the moment. He had to weigh the risks he knew, even if they were a secret, versus the potential gains.

  “If we can delay the attack even a day, everything will be different,” Adar said. “We could wait and see if Ethan’s plan worked, then react accordingly.”

  “You won’t be able to convince the Solarians to wait,” Ria told him. “They want to coordinate our attack with the Crell border push, and with good reason. The Sovereigns will be so busy dealing with three separate battles that we’ll never be in a better position to catch their local Imperators unaware.”

  “We don’t even know if Sovereign Verrator is involved in the main invasion. If his men aren’t on the front line, it won’t matter at all.”

  “I can’t imagine his Imperators wouldn’t be involved in a battle right on his border.”

  “I’m just saying we don’t know for certain,” Adar said. “Not much has gone the way we thought it would in this city. Hell, we’re still alive, aren’t we?”

  Ria sighed and shrugged. “Well what are you going to tell them? What are you going to tell the troops? They’re bloodthirsty right now, and we should ride that momentum as long as we can. In the end, you’re only talking about six priests. Lavonde was suggesting almost a hundred troops for the attack, and you know we’ll still have the paladins regardless of what happens.”

  Adar grabbed another of the Crell swords and twirled it about anxiously. This wasn’t an easy decision, but he had made tough choices before. He had chosen to rebuild the Resistance here in Lyebel when almost nothing remained of them but ashes. He had chosen to allow Ethan to use his demons in lieu of channelers just to keep them alive. He had chosen to let Jason go with the full knowledge that he and his friends possessed a secret that could damn them all.

  But this time, things were different. This time he could afford to be patient and wait it out. He could play it safe and weather the storm of the coming battle. There would be plenty of other days to pick fights and score victories.

  Ria, however, was also right. There might never be an opportunity like this again. If Ethan’s plan worked, the Crell would assuredly carry the day on all fronts. Their armies would be marching deeper into Solaria and have renewed vigor themselves. Lyebel would be one of the major funnels for troops and supplies, and the rebels might have to bury themselves deeper in the warrens of Lyebel just to avoid the pending sea of reinforcements. Even if Ethan’s plan failed and the Crell armies were destroyed, the Imperium would still be building up troops here in expectation of an Alliance offensive.

  In other words, the rebels were likely to find themselves at the edge of a blade either way.

  “If we
inflict serious damage on the garrison, we’ll be in a better position for whatever happens,” Adar told her after a few minutes. “If we cut off the portal, we’ll slow their reinforcements, and even a minor victory will still bring us more recruits and more support.”

  “It would prove we’re much more than a nuisance,” Ria agreed. “We would be a threat, and that means their entire strategy would have to change. We would be on the offensive, dictating the terms of the battle.”

  “Or we’ll all be dead when it blows up in our faces.”

  “We’ve faced death before, many times,” she said with a grim smile. “We’ve always made it.”

  “Yes,” Adar whispered. “I suppose we have.”

  He set down the sword and headed off to find Sir Lavonde. It was time to finalize their attack plans. Soon, Lyebel would be free once again.

  And afterwards, all of Galvia.

  ***

  Entering the great fortress of Garos on the eve of battle was every bit the adventure Elade had assumed it would be. With the Crell army parked just miles away, the city’s walls and gates were sealed more tightly than a miser’s purse. Even the eastern gate, which was shielded from the Crell by the adjacent river and mountains, was still blockaded by a throng of Solarian troops.

  Fortunately, Selvhara’s reputation in this part of the country carried more weight than anyone of them had anticipated, and she convinced one of the outlying scouts to ferry a message directly to General Iouna. Unfortunately, the general himself didn’t come out to greet them—instead the gate commander dispatched a pair of priests and a Knight of the Last Dawn.

  “Dame Devarath,” the paladin said, removing her helmet once she drew close. Her name was Venaril, if Elade remembered correctly, a Solarian-born recruit who had only been knighted a few months ago. “By the order of Highlord Alric, I command you to surrender you sword and accompany me to the Garos dungeon.”

  “You have to be kidding me,” Tam muttered. “Who turns away extra soldiers right before a big battle?”

  “Fools,” Gor said, glowering at the knight and her priest companions.

  “I suggest you watch your beast-man’s tongue,” Venaril replied icily. “And you should remind him that this outpost is all that stands between him and bondage.”

  “There is no reason for threats or even raised voices,” Selvhara said, stepping between the two groups. “We are friends of General Iouna, and he requested our aid in the defense of Garos. Please, allow us to speak with him.”

  “The Alliance has no need for mercenaries,” one of the priests said, his voice dripping with disdain. “Now turn over the vaeyn and ride back where you came from…for your own safety.”

  Jason sighed. They were still parked on horseback several hundred yards from the eastern gate, but even from here he could see the dozens of lightly armored infantry carrying pikes, spears, and other anti-cavalry weapons just in case the Crell attempted some type of cavalry raid before the main assault. And despite the fact night had already fallen, he could still make out scores of archers patrolling the walls just inside the battlements as well as the dark shapes of griffons and their riders swirling about overhead. Garos was fully prepared for battle…and right now, he couldn’t help but feel that they were as much the enemy as the Crell.

  “Listen, I guarantee General Iouna will want to see us,” Jason told them. “Please, just send him a missive. We can wait.”

  “Our orders come directly from King Areekan,” the priest said, taking a threatening step forward. “We are to detain this rogue paladin until she can be returned to the Dawn Citadel. This is not the general’s decision.”

  “Wrong,” a hard voice said from behind them. Riding forward on his yellow steed, fully adorned in ceremonial golden armor and a plumed helmet, was Darius Iouna. “These men and women are here at my personal request, and they will be escorted to the Command Tower immediately.”

  The priest turned, his eyes agape. “Sir, you cannot disregard His Majesty’s orders—”

  “The Legion Generals serve at the behest of the Lord’s Council, not the king,” Darius said firmly. “His Majesty may control the priesthood, but I command the soldiers in this province.”

  Venaril whipped her head about and glared at him. “I don’t take orders from your king or your council, general,” she said haughtily. “And I certainly don’t take orders from you. I am here at the behest of the Conclave of the Last Dawn, and this rogue paladin is mine.”

  “Perhaps you forget your place, paladin,” Darius replied coolly. “You serve here at my leisure. I am allowing you to fight with us in good faith as part of an alliance between my government and your Conclave, but if I choose to send you home, that is exactly what you’re going to do. Is that understood?”

  “How dare you speak that way to a Knight of the Last Dawn!” Venaril hissed. “The Highlord will hear about this!”

  “I’m sure he will. Now step aside—I will not ask again.”

  Venaril stirred on her horse, and for a moment Elade thought the other woman might actually call Darius’s bluff—assuming it was a bluff. Elade wanted to defend Garos as much as anyone, but she wasn’t going to let her presence sabotage a centuries-long alliance between the Solarians and the Last Dawn…

  “You have crossed a dangerous line here today, General,” Venaril said, tugging at her reins and pivoting away her mount. “When the Unbound inevitably turn upon you and your men, their blood will be on your hands.”

  She rode off in a huff, and after a few seconds the priests followed. Darius turned in his saddle and gestured to the smattering of soldiers surrounding them.

  “This woman, this paladin, is our ally,” he told them, raising his voice so that all could hear. “She has fought alongside Alliance forces in numerous battles, and she personally defeated Gaul Teroth, the leader of the demonic hordes at the Serogar Gate. For that alone, many of us owe her our lives—including me. Her comrades are all veterans of the Ash War, and they know and hate the Crell as much as anyone. They have bled for this nation in the past, and they have offered to do so again. Who are we to refuse them that opportunity?”

  The soldiers stirred, and Elade wondered if they believed their general. Probably—in her experience, rank-and-file soldiers were more likely to trust their commanding officers than anyone else, even a Knight of the Last Dawn.

  Darius waited a few moments before turning back to the group and smiling. “Follow me.”

  It took them the better part of twenty minutes to maneuver through the wooden barricades and slip into the city, during which time Elade was keenly aware of the looks every Solarian soldier was throwing them along the way. She was tempted to pull up the cowl of her cloak and hide her features, but decided against it. There was no point in acting like she was hiding anything—they might as well know who and what she was.

  “I always knew your friendship with a Solarian general would come in handy eventually,” Tam whispered to Jason as they tied up their mounts outside the main tower. “Of course, I always figured we’d use up that favor to get out of trouble, not to sign up for war…”

  “It could be worse,” Jason told him with a wry grin. “I doubt Darius would have stuck out his neck if the priests were coming after you.”

  “I’ll remember that the next time you ask me to shoot a fireball at the Crell swarming over you.”

  “Quiet,” Selvhara scolded them. “There is still much we need to discuss.”

  The group wound their way up the tower into Darius’s war room, and Elade was shocked at how much more crowded the building was than it had been just a few days ago. The creation of Aetheric portals had completely changed warfare in Torsia—they made it so trivial to reinforce entrenched positions that modern wars had mostly devolved into hit-and-run skirmishes against smaller outposts. Actual sieges had been relatively rare in the last war, except at places like Isen where no portals had been constructed.

  Darius cleared out the war room with a single gesture, though he si
gnaled for Colonel Ectar to stay behind. “I’m glad Krystia mentioned you were on your way,” the general said once the door closed. “I’ve done what I can to keep the knights busy, but I figured they’d confront you once you actually arrived.”

  “I appreciate your help,” Elade told him with a smile. “For a time, I was tempted to turn myself in before we left Celenest. I figured it would make it easier for the others.”

  “I’m glad you didn’t,” Darius told her. “I’ll protect you as best I can while you’re here, though I’m not sure how long it will last once the battle is over.”

  She nodded. “I’ll figure something out. But for now, we have more important things to discuss.”

  His eyes lingered on her for a moment longer before he finally turned and nodded. “You all look tired. I hope your journey wasn’t too taxing.”

  “It wasn’t the long hours so much as the lack of sleep,” Tam said, turning and glaring at Jason and Sarina. “Apparently there are a lot of very loud, very rude beasts out there in the wilderness at this time of year.”

  Darius cocked a confused eyebrow, and Elade chuckled softly to herself. Ever since Sarina had come back, she and Jason hadn’t been spending much time in the actual camp during the evenings…

  “We’ll be fine,” Jason said, abruptly changing the subject. “Have the Crell sent any messengers?”

  “No, nothing,” Darius replied, gesturing to the massive map stretched out across the central table. “I’ve been sending sorties of griffon-riders at them most of the day, but they’re well prepared. They travel in tight clusters beneath barriers from their Imperators, and so far the shields are plenty strong enough to block anything our riders can throw at them.”

  Selvhara sighed wearily. “I was hoping they might be bluffing just to see how you would respond.”

  “They’re definitely coming, but our scouts haven’t spotted any reinforcements from their major garrisons,” Colonel Ectar told them. “Whatever their battle-plan, they’re keeping it close to their chests.”