The Godswar Saga (Omnibus)

by Jennifer Vale

  Krystia dropped to her knees, and she felt Ethan try to catch her. He was speaking but she couldn’t hear his voice. Everything around her seemed dulled and muted, like she was trapped inside a waking dream. Within her mind, however, the voices were stronger than ever. But these were not the thoughts of those around her—they were the thoughts of hundreds of men and women once Bound to Areekan, and she could still hear them. They spoke to her in a fevered panic, begging for assurances.

  What happened, my lord? Are you safe? What can we do to serve you?

  In only a few brief minutes without his thoughts and power, the priests had lost their way. They were like children, befuddled and helpless in the world without their parents. Krystia could be that for them now. She could take care of them. She could share with them her power, and they would be far stronger than they ever were before.

  The king is gone, my children, but you need not fear, she told them. I am here with you now. Your queen shall protect you.

  ***

  The cold autumn air swirled angrily around Selvhara as she hovered some forty feet above and behind the main gate. Her long robe and hair fluttered wildly behind her, and her fingertips surged with electricity. Below, the first wave of Crell troops battered their way into the wall of Alliance infantry. Most of them were chagari, and they attacked with claws, teeth, and swords, all in equal measure. Leveling a finger at a tightly-clustered group, she released a bolt of lightning that jumped from target to target until all that remained were piles of smoldering black fur.

  Just below her to the right, still elevated above the fray, Tam hurled balls of flame into the approaching troops, and Gor, axe in hand, stood watch next to him in case anything slipped through. Their attacks were quick and effective but ultimately short-lived; soon the incoming troops were so intermingled with the Alliance soldiers it became too risky to continue their assault.

  Of all the things that had gone wrong today, however, having too few targets to choose from was never much of a consideration. Selvhara and Tam were the only real defense against the score of manticore riders dipping in and out, bombarding the fortress-city with their own powers.

  “This is insane!” Gor growled. “There’s no way we can hold this gate, not without support!”

  “I can’t tell if that’s pessimism or pride in your people,” Tam replied, flinging a dart of flame at one of the exposed chagari below. “Sel, can you see Jason anywhere?”

  “No,” she called back, glancing over to the southwest wall. Garos was large enough that picking out individuals from this distance was difficult even on a clear day, let alone during the chaos of battle. They all had seen one of the battlements detonate in the initial volley, of course, and for a moment her heart had stopped when she saw the explosion—but then she had felt Jason’s thoughts brushing against her mind, and she had known he was all right.

  The Alliance forces at the gate are buckling, she said, experimenting with the mental communication he had taught her during their trip. She had mastered many channeling techniques over the years, but telepathy had never been her strongest talent.

  We’re coming, Jason promised. Just hold on.

  A second flight of dragons roared past overhead, dropping fresh groll shock troopers into the heart of the fortress. One soared past only a hundred feet from where they stood.

  “Tam, left claw!” she yelled, twisting herself about as the creature flew past.

  “Got it!”

  Selvhara leveled a finger at the creature’s right claw and unleashed another bolt of electricity. Almost simultaneously, Tam flung a ball of flame at the left. The groll inside never stood a chance—Tam’s crate exploded in a fiery burst before it even dropped, and hers splintered cleanly down the middle. Without the dampening enchantment of the crates to protect them, any groll that managed to survive the blast would soon splatter against the ground.

  The dragon’s riders retaliated moments later, flinging a volley of energy balls at the two annoying channelers below. Selvhara summoned a shield of energy in front of her and deflected the brunt of the attack, and Tam did the same. By then the riders were far enough away there was no follow up.

  “Next time we hit the dragon,” Tam said. “We need to…” He trailed off as his face darkened in confusion. “What the hell?”

  Selvhara followed his eyes. One of the dragons banked sharply across the city, and on its back she caught a pair of glowing wings sprouting from a figure on top of it. The dragon tried to arc back across the fortress, but then it roared in pain and seemed to freeze in mid-air; a few moments later, it was in a dead dive straight for the ground, and Elade deftly flipped from its back.

  “Galivar’s…something,” Tam stammered. “She’s crazy!”

  Selvhara shrugged. “She’s a paladin. You get used to it eventually.”

  Just as she spoke the words, the dragon’s tail slapped Elade hard into a tower, and her body disappeared from view. Shortly thereafter the dragon’s corpse dropped through an empty building at the center of the fortress, and debris and smoke rose up and concealed the entire area.

  Tam swore viciously. “We need to get over there. We have to—”

  “We can’t,” Selvhara said gravely. Even after centuries of warfare and battles, her first instinct was to rush over and help her vaeyn cousin, but thankfully her discipline kept her in place. No single soldier was as important as the mission, and right now that meant they needed to hold the line at any cost.

  To her surprise, apparently Tam understood that as well. “I’m not sure how long Squire Talroy can keep these soldiers together,” he said, clenching his jaw in frustration. “We just need more firepower…”

  Almost on cue, the Aether shuddered like a massive beast waking from a long slumber. The mists of power swirled up and around a handful of the Solarian troops….

  “Sel!” Tam called.

  “I see it,” she breathed. “I don’t understand. It’s like their bonds have been restored.”

  The clarion cry of commanders rallying their troops rang across the battlefield. Unexpectedly bolstered by what she could only describe as a miracle, their lines stiffened and thrust back against the Crell forces. Atop the battlements and towers deeper in the fortress, bolts of energy blasted back at the Crell riders, and the once scattered squads of griffons swung about for a counter attack.

  Jason, she mentally whispered to him. Something is—

  I feel it too.

  Selvhara shook her head in disbelief. She had no idea what had just happened, but right now the “how” didn’t really matter. “We need to move to higher ground to help with the dragons and manticores,” she said. “These soldiers can hold the gate on their own.”

  “I think you’re right,” Tam agreed. Twin spheres of orange-white flame simmered in his palms, and he flashed her a dopey smile. “The next dragon is mine.”

  ***

  Onar Tenel chewed on the inside of his lip as his eyes flicked between the tactical maps. Aman-Dapor and Brackengarde would be theirs within the hour, and Legion Generals Iouna and Wystan had been confirmed dead. The remaining Solarian forces were already in full retreat, and with any luck the Imperators would be able to capture or kill General Belyise before she could escape. Despite Tenel’s reservations about the Zarul, this coup, and even the future of the Imperium, almost everything was playing out exactly as Sovereign Damir had promised. King Areekan was gone, and the mighty Alliance military was crumbling before them.

  Except at Garos.

  “I don’t understand how this is possible,” Tenel whispered. “If King Areekan is dead, how can his priests still channel? And if he’s not…why can’t all of them still channel?”

  A faint smile tugged at Damir’s lips. “The new Solarian queen is obviously even more powerful than I thought,” she said almost wistfully. “But it’s nothing to worry about, Admiral. In time, this may even work to our advantage.”

  Grimacing in frustration, Tenel shifted his attention back on the Garos battl
e. General Moore’s son and elf witch consort had managed to rally the Solarian lines, and against all odds they were actually holding their ground. And now that some of the enemy priests seemed to have miraculously recovered from the death of their king, victory was anything but assured.

  Tenel seethed through clenched teeth. The fact that a war criminal’s son had turned the tide of the battle made him sick. Moore had escaped them in Lyebel, and now he threatened the entire war effort…

  “Moore’s day will come, Admiral,” Damir said into the silence. “Keep your mind focused on the battle.”

  Tenel winced. Ever since he’d come to the Zarul headquarters, he had wondered if Damir was rummaging through his mind. Now he knew…and the thought sent a chill down his spine.

  “We have a decision to make,” he said. “We’ve crippled the Alliance command staff and heavily damaged the walls and battlements, and they won’t be able to summon reinforcements anytime soon. If we retreat now, we can still save the bulk of our troops. We can regroup and return in a week or so to finish the job.”

  Damir’s eyes fastened unblinkingly upon the crystalline mirrors above. “You have an alternative?”

  Tenel nodded even though he doubted she could really see him. “We’re not going to breach the front wall, but we still have our basic infantry and your special elite troops standing by. I recommend ordering two manticore wings to break off and concentrate on the northwestern wall. Once they’ve opened a breach, we can deploy the rest of our infantry and force the Solarians to split their defenses.”

  “We could punch through the southwestern wall as well.”

  “We don’t have the time. With their griffons regrouping, most of our flyers will be engaged soon. We need to concentrate on opening another wall or we won’t be able to sustain the assault.” Tenel paused a moment, tapping his fingertips together in thought. “Our last wave of groll shock troopers is on their way; after that, I suggest we begin air dropping our elite troops back behind their lines. If they are as tough as you promise, we should be able to flank the gate defenders.”

  “You seem hesitant,” Damir observed.

  “We can still win, but the cost will be high. And if this doesn’t work, most of our soldiers will be trapped. We risk losing everything.”

  “Taking Garos now will save lives in the future, Admiral. We press the attack.”

  Tenel nodded gravely. “As you wish, Your Eminence.”

  ***

  Jason and Sarina flattened themselves against a wall as yet another explosion thundered above them. A storm of dust and debris showered down over them, and he coughed and knocked what he could off his hair and forehead.

  “Well, they’re definitely not pulling back,” he commented. “The Crell are nothing if not determined.”

  “They still hold almost every advantage,” Sarina said. “How are our friends doing?”

  “Another flight of dragons is on the way in; Sel and Tam are going to focus on taking some of them out if they can.”

  Sarina glanced upward, shielding her eyes against the sun. “Some of the Alliance griffons have recovered—hopefully they can help.”

  “Yes,” Jason said. “Come on, Sel said Elade should be close by.”

  “I don’t think anyone could have survived that fall.”

  “I didn’t think anyone could leap on a dragon’s back and bring it down,” Jason countered. “She’s full of surprises.”

  He hopped back to his feet and dashed around the base of the Command Tower. Corpses littered the nearby streets, though a small handful of soldiers had somehow survived the devastation. Jason yearned to run over and attempt to help them, but sadly his healing skills were still rudimentary at best.

  “There!” Sarina cried out, pointing ahead.

  Up ahead, just a few feet from the base of the tower, Jason spotted Elade’s crumpled body. He sprinted over to her with renewed vigor.

  “No, no, no…” he muttered as he knelt down beside her. The cobblestone surrounding her had buckled from her body’s impact; no human could have possibly survived such a fall.

  Thankfully, Elade wasn’t human.

  “She’s alive,” Sarina stammered, clearly surprised. “How in the hell…?’

  “Never underestimate a Knight of the Last Dawn,” Jason said, smiling. Her left arm was clearly broken, but otherwise he didn’t see any serious injuries. Placing a hand upon the gray-blue skin on her neck, he tried to replicate one of the healing techniques Selvhara and Krystia had shown him. A flood of pain abruptly washed over him, and he had to bite down on his lip to maintain his concentration. He wasn’t sure he could ever get used to feeling someone else’s suffering like this…

  “She’s coming to,” Sarina said. “Keep doing whatever it is you’re doing.”

  Jason nodded. He could feel Malacross’s power coursing through him, and he commanded the Aether into Elade’s flesh to repair her wounds…

  Her breathing shifted, and her eyes fluttered open. It took her a moment for recognition to lighten her face. “Jason…”

  “You’re badly hurt,” he whispered. “I don’t know what else to do.”

  Elade winced and yelped as she tried to move her arm.

  “It’s broken,” he said. Looking down at her mangled elbow actually made him nauseous. “I’m surprised your hand didn’t fall off.”

  “Next time, try shooting the dragon instead of jumping on top of it,” Sarina said. “I’ll loan you a bow.”

  Elade managed a dry snort. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

  She lifted her good hand, and blue energy flared across her fingertips. Jason could see the Aether swirling around her, but he had to look away when the bone inside her left arm began to shift and move beneath her skin.

  “Oh, shit,” Sarina whispered.

  Jason nodded. “Yeah, that’s pretty disgusting.”

  “No. The Crell are dropping in more troops.”

  He glanced up as a dragon soared almost directly over them. Its claws released two more crates; one crashed down on the street only a hundred feet away to the east, and the other leveled a house not much farther down.

  “We have to move,” Jason said, putting his hands around Elade’s arm. “Come on.”

  She stood mostly under her own power. Her arm still hung limply, but at least it wasn’t bent in the wrong direction anymore. He couldn’t believe she wasn’t rolling around in pain crying for her mother—he knew that was exactly what he’d be doing in her place.

  “I’m not going anywhere,” she said, her eyes narrowing at the crates. “Stay back and out of sight until I attack.”

  “What?” Sarina blurted out. “You’re crazy. There have to be at least twenty of them.”

  The vaeyn’s glowing blue eyes narrowed. Blood was smeared across her cheeks, and her armor looked like it had been run over by a stampede of angry mammoths. All in all, she looked just about as haggard as after her battle with the demons in Celenest, but this time Jason could feel an unbreakable aura of determination surrounding her—an aura remarkably similar to that of a big Taurosian man who had saved Jason’s life at Isen.

  “That’s why I’ll need your help,” Elade told them. “The Crell have sent in Breakers—I can’t just let them run loose in the city.”

  “So what do you want us to do, exactly?” Sarina asked sharply.

  Elade shrugged. “Keep me alive.”

  Before they could protest, she darted into the long shadows across the street and vanished. Jason shook his head and ran back, Sarina in tow. They found a nook in the remains of a wooden building and crouched down inside it as the Crell troops continued their march through the streets.

  “She’s a fool,” Sarina murmured. “A mad fool.”

  “Maybe,” Jason said with a wry grin. “But I almost feel sorry for the Crell. They have no idea what they’re up against.”

  “I hope you’re not serious.”

  He shrugged. “I said ‘almost.’ Now come on—this battle isn
’t over just yet.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  “Justice for the dead. Vengeance for the living.”

  —Ethan Moore, 2010 AG

  Ethan grabbed ahold of Krystia as she lost her balance and collapsed. Her entire body had gone limp, though he could feel her struggling to breathe. Across the chamber, Tyrius Areekan, Ascendant King of Solaria, was dead. Unfortunately, it appeared that Krystia might not be able to contain his power. If she couldn’t, then all of this would have been for nothing…

  “Krystia?” Ethan asked, patting her cheeks. “Krystia, can you hear me?”

  Her skin was sheathed in cold sweat, and she looked borderline comatose. But without his magic—without the Aether—there was nothing he could do for her. They didn’t have much time before the Solarian reinforcements arrived, and if she hadn’t regained consciousness by then, he was going to be in serious trouble. He wouldn’t be able to explain what had happened. The guards might even shoot him outright.

  Ethan caught a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye. Off to his left, Kaeldar was slowly dragging himself to his feet. Blood trickled from his nose and ears, and his skin had gone almost completely white, but he still managed to hobble over to the body of one of the fallen guardsmen.

  “If you just lie there she might let you live,” Ethan warned.

  The High Priest ignored him. He crawled forward even more frantically and reached out to retrieve one of the fallen crossbows.