Legacy of War

by Nyk Nova

  “Sergeant Inja has an Emperor’s Seal. Until she gives an order, they’ll just stand there. What do we need to do?”

  “Stay out here,” Kade said. “Keep things as Inja left them. If she comes out before me, I need her to believe that you’re still following orders.”

  “What if Tuk comes out first, with the sword?” Roland asked.

  “Then radio to Tare and evac out.”

  “Without you?”

  “Just make sure that Ler’ren gets the sword and not her mother.” With that said, Kade took off after Inja.

  The pyramid was a high structure with three sides. What parts of its surface hadn’t been destroyed by whatever calamity befell the rest of the city, were smooth and still retained some polish. In its prime, it would have been an impressive building. Kade had no clue as to its original intent. Whether or not Aurtune built it was not of concern. What lay inside was.

  He stopped short of the entrance. The space was dim. Few lights lined the front of the entry hall. Kade stepped inside, rifle at the ready. There was no sign of Inja or Tuk. He scanned the walls of the hallway, searching for a directory or map of some sort. There was none.

  “I could use a talisman right now,” he muttered to himself.

  Kade continued down the hallway, trying to adjust his vision to the dark. He reached his hand out and finally felt something in his path. It was large and cylindrical. He ran his hand along it and felt the sharp axe blade on one end. It was a fairly large weapon. The whole thing would have been too big for one person to wield but still enough to take out a group. He ran his hand back along the other side to find its origin. The entire thing had swung out from the wall.

  He looked around the floor, trying to see any sign of Tuk or Inja but it was too dark. The next idea was not one he was too interested in pursuing but there was a need to know his environment. Kade kept his eyes on the floor and his gun up.

  Kade pulled the trigger and the muzzle flash ignited the space in a flash of yellow but neither Tuk nor Inja were anywhere to be seen. And if she was still alive, there was no way she didn’t hear the gunshot. Not only did he have to worry about also setting off traps, but now Inja would be on alert. Kade sighed. “One of them set this thing off,” he said, referring to the trap.

  Kade ducked under the sprung trap and continued farther into the pyramid. It was a blind man’s obstacle course as Kade was stopped by various other traps that had already been sprung. He felt along the floor with his foot, feeling for anything or anyone that may have been claimed by the spikes risen from the floor. He ran his hand along the wall, feeling bullet holes dotting the surface. But there was no sign of anyone living or dead.

  His hand continued feeling along the wall until he could feel nothing. “A turn?”

  Along a new corridor, he could see a faint light. Kade glanced back at the pyramid entrance as daylight shone through the doorway. It seemed very far away, though he hadn’t walked that great a distance.

  There was no going back. Not until he either found the sword or found there was no sword. Either way, forward was the only option.

  Kade crept along the hallway, listening for any trigger sounds or footsteps. The light ahead got brighter and he felt some relief that he may be finished with traipsing around in the dark tunnels.

  As he got closer, he found the light was coming from below. A short set of stairs led to a lower level. Kade crouched to the floor and tried to see inside. There was nothing but more floor in his line of sight.

  He stepped down, continuing to keep his form crouched. Each step was meticulous and slow. Traps weren’t the concern now that he could see. It was who else could see him.

  Finally, making his way to the bottom, he took a look at his new surroundings. The walls were scarred and the colors on them were flaking off but there was no doubt as to what they represented. Even in the days of Aurtune, the colors of Osceria were the same. The white and gold adorned the walls and the ceiling. He looked around for any directions about where to go. But just as before, there was nothing. A single light hovered near the ceiling, its glow reflected by the walls, making the room brighter.

  On the opposite side of the room were two doorways, side by side. Both had dark interiors. Kade’s gun went back and forth, trying to choose which way was best. One direction could lead to the sword. The other could lead to nothing or worse. He tried to think of any and all historical literature that he’d read while growing up and while in the military. There was very little about the Sword of Aurtune and nothing about a pyramid on another planet.

  A shot rang out, startling Kade. He flinched just long enough for Inja to walk out with her gun trained on him. “Drop it,” she ordered.

  Kade did the opposite and turned his gun on her.

  “I guess that’s to be expected from anyone bold enough to kill an Emperor in front of a whole world.”

  Kade started to protest but Inja continued before he could speak. “You know, I had the same problem, trying to decide which door to take. I didn’t get very far down this one before I heard that gunshot. How you ever got the Lugazians to surrender when using tactics like that is beyond me.”

  Kade remained silent.

  “I should make you go down one of these. Make you do the work for me.”

  “Or we could stay here, two guns aimed at each other till we both die,” Kade said. “There’s just one problem.”

  “What’s that?”

  “You’re outnumbered.”

  Inja took stock of the room. They were the only two in it.

  “You didn’t see him get in here so I doubt you’ll see him come out. I’ve already got a man inside. He’s on his way to get the sword now.”

  “That explains why the traps were set off. Either that or they’re from well before. Doesn’t matter. If what you say is true, I guess that makes you a bargaining chip.”

  Kade looked at her gun then at his own. “Unless there’s something special about that firearm, we’re in a stand-off.”

  Inja pulled a grenade from a pouch.

  “You’ll go up, too,” Kade said.

  “True. But if that brings this whole place on top of us then your man is trapped and the sword stays safe. I’m OK with that.”

  “Then the wars continue. Are you OK with that?”

  “I’m a soldier,” Inja said. “Something you’ve obviously forgotten how to be. War starts, we fight. It’s as simple as that.”

  Kade glared at her. She wasn’t going to go down without a fight. He pulled the trigger on his rifle. Nothing happened.

  “You dirty—” she pulled the trigger on hers to the same result.

  Kade dropped his gun and dashed for her. Inja dropped the unarmed explosive and swung her gun at the rushing Oscerian. He caught the weapon and tore it from her hands but found a boot thrust into his ribs.

  The kick sent him reeling back while Inja slid a Volt Blade from its sheath. She activated the magic lighting, making the knife twice as dangerous.

  A single swipe of the blade made Kade jump back. He held her rifle up as a guard but didn’t let it come into contact with the knife. The metal would only attract the electricity, making it travel into him.

  Kade stayed on defense, dodging and ducking the blade as it made its way for him. Inja was proving to be a better close quarters combat troop than she had been a marksman. She had kept him on his toes far longer than he liked.

  The blade came at his side and Kade leaped back, this time thrusting the rifle at her head. The barrel hit her helmet as the knife struck the wall. Sparks from the metal on stone connection merged with the blue lighting, making for a pretty light show under other circumstances.

  Inja readjusted her helmet, giving Kade the chance to go on the offense. He ducked down, swiping the butt of the gun at her legs. She blocked the gun strike with the side sole of her boot, making the strike ineffective.

  Kade pushed away from the wall, giving himself more room to swing the gun. Inja ducked the first swing and side s
tepped the next thrust. It was becoming more and more clear to Kade that he wasn’t going to win this with wild swings. The gun was proving useless as an offensive weapon and against the Volt Blade, it was definitely useless for defense.

  Kade’Tor Lorenth had risen through the ranks of the military, not only through smart tactical decisions but through unexpected ones. Going toe to toe with a Siege Machine during the war and then putting himself between three ABUs weren’t strategies anyone would consider sane. But that was why they worked. When the reasonable solutions were ineffective, Kade was adept at implementing the illogical.

  Inja rushed at him with the Volt Blade in a thrust position. Kade dashed at her and threw the rifle. Inja knew of Kade’s tactics and swiped her arm at the gun, knocking it away. But the next move was entirely unexpected.

  Kade leaped forward, head first. His hands reached out for her free arm. He grasped it just as her knife lunged forward, missing him by a safe margin.

  Kade dropped to the floor, flipping Inja over and throwing her down.

  He heard the knife clank to the ground and saw Inja dissipating her impact with the floor by rolling. Unfortunately, her role took her right over the Volt Blade.

  Kade launched to his feet as the sergeant’s body shook and convulsed at the lighting tendrils dancing around her. He bowed his head. Her death was not something he sought. Nothing about this situation was something he sought.

  Kade waited till Inja’s body stopped shaking before—as gently as he could— he nudged her off the knife. A single breath escaped his lungs, relieved that the knife had not stabbed her. If nothing else, her person was left intact. Deceased but without mutilation.

  He lifted the knife and deactivated the talisman at the bottom. It was half full. He didn’t know whether or not it would be of any real use, but considering the state of both their guns, it would have to do.

  Kade stepped to the two passageways. His first reaction was to go through the one Inja had stepped out of, but a voice emanating from the other changed his mind.

  Kade stepped into the dark hallway and strained to listen. With each step, the voice grew louder and clearer. He was sure it was Tuk’s.

  Kade hastened his pace. The passage had several turns and was acting as an amplifier.

  The last turn he took, Kade found a door opened for anyone to walk through. He stepped through it and could finally hear Tuk loud and clear.

  The Oscerian was standing at the top of a pedestal, his back to Kade. A single sword hovered in the air as if locked in place by an invisible force.

  “And you will honor our deal?” Tuk asked.

  Kade looked around the room but there was no one else there.

  “What do you mean, plans have changed?” Tuk asked, agitated. “As long as our arrangement stays, I really don’t care. They banished me, so it doesn’t matter what happens to them.”

  Kade stepped closer. “Silver Wire?”

  Tuk glanced over his shoulder. “He’s here… No, just him… I don’t think it will be a problem. But just in case, send word to the armada.”

  “What armada?” Kade asked. “Who are you talking to?”

  “General Lorenth, do you remember why I was banished to Razen?”

  Kade only glared at him. The question was rhetorical.

  “I mentioned that ten years on that planet changed me.” He put his hand on the sword. “That wasn’t entirely true— Well, not in the way you might think.” He pulled the sword from the invisible force holding it in mid air. “You see, Razen offered a wonderful opportunity to kill as many as I wanted without punishment. That sort of power can go to your head. And now, what Jer’ren has in store for Osceria— and all on my say so…A planet’s worth of people. And I. Made. It. Happen.”

  43

  “That’s who I saw, giving the stone to Tare,” Kade said. “It was you. How did you get in the fortress?”

  “The secret hatch wasn’t that difficult to find. Quite irresponsible of our people to leave something so valuable in a place so easily accessible.”

  “Why? Why betray our people like this?”

  “Asks the Emperor of Assassins. I don’t know much about Pan Argus but from your fear of him wearing the Mantle, I’d say you did just as bad for our people by killing Dom. At least this way, Osceria won’t have to live under a dictatorship.”

  “You said launch the armada. What did you mean?”

  “That was new to me, actually,” Tuk said. “If you betrayed Jer’ren she was going to have the Lugazian fleet surprise attack the Capital City. I guess Tare plans on telling her of your betrayal.”

  “I haven’t betrayed her.”

  “Not yet. But why stretch out the inevitable. You’re the same general who tore victory from her grasp. She has no reason to trust you. And Tare despises you.”

  “If Lugaz is going to attack Osceria then Jer’ren doesn’t need the sword.”

  “You make a fair point.” Tuk swung the sword as if battling an invisible foe. “It’s strange, now that I have it in my hands, I’m getting this tingly feeling. And a strange buzzing. Like thousands of voices all mumbling at once. What do you think that’s all about?” He looked down at himself. “I thought I would feel different. Like invincibility would feel different.”

  “You’re not invincible.”

  Tuk readied the sword in an attack position. “I suppose we’ll find out, won’t we?” He launched off the pedestal, charging right for Kade.

  The battles of earlier, especially the fight with Inja, had Kade feeling more worn down that he cared to admit. He didn’t know enough about the Sword of Aurtune or how it would affect the wielder, but he did know that regardless of any magic that was coursing through it, a sharp blade was still a sharp blade.

  Like Inja before, Tuk had Kade on defense, only this time the former General had to stay five steps out of reach. Kade leaped back, finding himself against the wall. He ducked as the sword made its way toward his head. Sparks flew off the wall as the blade cut across the stone. Kade rolled behind Tuk and swung the Volt Blade at the traitor but Tuk was more proficient in combat than Kade had given him credit for. The Oscerian spun around, blocking Kade’s strike. The two edged weapons struck each other and lighting from the knife arced across both blades.

  Tuk’s larger frame was much stronger and he pushed Kade back. The general looked on as Tuk admired how the Sword of Aurtune held onto the bolts of electricity as if the sword had taken on the magic properties of the talisman in the Volt Blade’s pommel.

  “I wonder what else it can do,” Tuk said before pressing his attack.

  Kade ducked the next swing and kicked his leg out, shoving Tuk back.

  The two righted themselves. Tuk was lax in his stance, overconfident in the larger weapon and drunk on the thought of being invincible. He spread his arms out and backed into the dark passageway out of the room, daring Kade to come after him.

  Kade checked the talisman’s magic level.

  “Running low, General?” Tuk checked the hilt of the sword. “No talisman here.” The electric glow lit Tuk’s face up, revealing a sinister smile. “Just think of all those Oscerians screaming as the Lugazian ships rain fire down on them. I do regret I’ll not experience that.”

  “You’re insane!” Kade yelled.

  “Overly ambitious, maybe. But I’m sure you could say the same about the Emperor and Empress.”

  Kade rushed into the hallway, blinded by rage. After all he’d gone through, one of his own people had turned on their home world in the worst way possible. At least if Tuk’s betrayal had simply lead to another war, Osceria would have had a chance. But a sneak attack on the unsuspecting populace would be genocide and all so Tuk could rack up his own kill count.

  Kade slashed at Tuk, the blue trail of lighting lit up their faces in a soothing cool tone. The reasons for the color tone were anything but soothing. Kade’s anger rose as Tuk only backed away, avoiding his strikes. The man had a larger weapon. He should have dropped the defense
and re-engaged. Instead, he taunted Kade, smiling and letting him know there was little he could do since Tuk possessed the sword.

  The blue glow traveled through the hallway, sparking the occasional yellow strobe as the blades connected with each other and the walls.

  Tuk quickly rushed up the small steps and brought the sword down on Kade just as his torso rose above the top step. The general twisted in time to avoid the killing strike. He grabbed Tuk’s leg and pulled as hard as he could, tripping the traitor.

  Tuk fell to his back and rolled over, avoiding the lighting from the sword and from Kade’s blade.

  As Tuk got to his feet, Kade rushed up the stairs and kicked at him again. The attack was sloppy and missed by a long shot. Kade was getting tired and he knew it. His only hope was that Tuk hadn’t noticed. And that the fight would be taken outside. Then he would have the numbers on his side.

  Tuk plunged the sword forward and Kade barely dodged in time. The lightning bolts reached out for whatever they could. Fortunately, the bolts of the knife attracted them, keeping Kade safe.

  Tuk rushed deeper into the hallway, creating plenty of room between the two. “How much longer do you think you have with that knife, General?” He turned and slashed at the spikes sticking up from the floor, cutting them down in one fell swoop. “If I recall, the magic hardens the blade, correct? What happens when the talisman runs out of juice?”

  Kade looked down at the talisman. It was dangerously low— practically gone. Any second the lighting would cease. And Tuk was right, once the magic was gone, it was nothing more than a regular knife.

  Tuk pointed the sword at Kade. “Accept your fate. Surrender to me and I’ll make it quick.”

  Kade looked down at the knife, the bolts were fading. His eyes moved to his hand. He could barely see it and Tuk was too far away to further illuminate him. Kade smiled. It was an expression Tuk could not see. All the sword wielder could see was the fading Volt Blade.

  “Well? What will it be? I promise once Osceria is done, I’ll do the same to Lugaz. With the sword I’ll be able to rule over the military, carrying us to other worlds for the killing.”