The Castes and the OutCastes: The Complete Trilogy

by Davis Ashura

  Rukh stood next to Jessira, and from atop the Inner Wall, they gazed out at Chimeras and the desolation of Ashoka's farms. The Murans claimed they could eventually return the soil to health, but they would likely never have the opportunity.

  *The green farms were prettier,* Aia noted.

  Rukh glanced at the Kesarin. She and Shon crouched nearby, having earlier decided to disregard any order telling them that they couldn't accompany Rukh and Jessira on the Inner Wall. Thrum felt the same way and was with Jaresh at a position near Kubar Gate.

  Rukh noticed Jessira staring out at the ruined fields with a scowl on her face. “There are times I really wish we had taken one of those ships,” she said.

  “There are many times I also wish we had taken one of those ships,” he replied.

  “When you say 'we', you really mean 'me', as in just me and not us, don't you?” Jessira asked with a soft smile.

  Rukh saw no reason to dissemble. “Yes.”

  She turned and ran her fingers through his hair. “When will you stop dreaming of the impossible?”

  Rukh shrugged. “Probably as long as this Wall lasts,” he answered.

  Jessira arched an eyebrow. “Only until then?”

  Rukh smiled in grim amusement. “Once the Wall falls, we'll likely be dead.”

  A stone slammed close. Chunks of it broke past the Oasis, and Rukh Shielded, automatically extending his protection to Aia. The Kesarin growled.

  Jessira shook off a dusting of stones. “It looks like your wish might come true sooner than you think,” she said.

  Rukh couldn't help himself. He knew he should just keep quiet, but the words came out anyway. “You're the one who insisted on staying.”

  Jessira closed her eyes, looking as though she were searching for patience “He just can't stop talking about it,” she muttered as she walked off.

  *I think Jessira is annoyed with you,* Aia noted.

  *She is definitely annoyed with you,* Shon confirmed. *She is fiery that way.* He tilted his head to the side. *How could you not know this as her mate?*

  *Yes. How could you not know this as my mate?* Jessira snapped.

  Rukh didn't respond, knowing nothing he said would help the situation. This was an old argument, one he knew he could never win, but it was also one he couldn't help but revisit. It was like a loose tooth that wouldn't come free.

  *I thought your Human was the finest of Humans,* Shon said to Aia. *How then can he be so simple?*

  *He isn't simple,* Aia said in outrage. *Rukh is simply looking after the health of those in his glaring. It isn't his fault that your Human is behaving stupidly.*

  Rukh was no longer listening. His attention was caught by something else. A huge boulder was hurtling their way. It was massive, almost like a small hill. If it struck the Oasis, it would likely blast its way through and in so doing, annihilate the last of Ashoka's protection from the Sorrow Bringer.

  A Spear would split the boulders a voice full of power and command intoned from the depths of Rukh's mind.

  He frowned in puzzlement. The voice hadn't belonged to Aia, Shon, or Thrum. Who, then, had spoken? Unexpected knowledge came to him, and any questions he had disappeared. If a Fireball was mixed with a Bow, it would create a Spear. It was another new Talent. He had no time to think on how such knowledge had come to him.

  The huge boulder was tumbling toward the Inner Wall.

  Rukh formed a Spear in his hand and thrust it upward. It extended out, a golden bar, further and further, smashing into the hill-sized stone. When the Spear struck, there was a flash and a crack, a high-pitched shriek. It was like bones snapping to shards. The large boulder split, breaking apart into smaller ones that still pounded against the Oasis.

  For a moment, Rukh felt a sense of triumph. The Kesarins would have to teach this new Talent to everyone.

  His triumph evaporated, and he watched in dismay as the remnant rocks from the large boulder impacted the Oasis. Where they struck, there were shimmers in the air, a ripple like a heat wave. Most of the massive stones were repelled. But one, the largest . . . when it struck the Oasis, it slowed and seemed to hold in place for an interminable instant. Then it was moving again. It thudded with a hollow reverberation against the Inner Wall. A snapping sound came then, like a whip wielded by a giant. It cracked with the force of thunder. Suddenly, more stones were hitting the wall, these from the Chimera siege engines.

  The Oasis was down.

  A cry arose from the Fan Lor Kum, a low-throated growl of triumph and bloodlust. It would have been a sound to chill the heart but not when compared to the gibbering screams of the Sorrow Bringer. She shrieked madness and conquest.

  Rukh's mouth went dry. His stomach felt light. This was it. This was the end of Ashoka. The end of his home. Fear rose, but he quickly mastered it.

  Frag it. There was nothing to do but get the work done. More rocks came, and Rukh Shielded. Another huge stone was hurled in their direction, and he formed another Spear, hammering the boulder into pebbles.

  Rukh never saw the marble-sized rock that punched through his Shield and hit him in the head.

  Jessira had no notion of how Rukh had broken apart the huge boulder that had threatened to flatten them. She didn't know how he had created the golden bar that had thrust up from his hands like a battering ram. She only wished he'd had the time to teach them this latest Talent. The battle for Ashoka's Inner Wall could have been won if he had been able to do so.

  A Spear was what it was called, or at least she thought so. That's what Rukh had said anyway. A Spear would hurl the boulders away. Those had been the words he'd spoken in that deep, commanding voice, the one that didn't entirely sound like him.

  Jessira would have wondered more about what Rukh had said and done, but her questions would have to wait. The Oasis was down. Even now the Chimeras were rushing forward, certain of their imminent victory, while high above, the Sorrow Bringer bellowed Her triumph. Ashoka's warriors along the Wall roared in response. The city wouldn't go down like a lamb before the lion.

  Jessira added her shout of defiance to those of her brother warriors. She unsheathed her sword and Shielded, readying herself for what was to come. The Chimeras would attempt to forge a beach head on the Wall. They would try to press into the city under the protection of Suwraith.

  Jessira's heart pounded.

  It would be just like Stronghold.

  She breathed shallow and fast.

  Everyone would die.

  Jessira' vision grew dim and dark. Sounds became dull. Jessira blinked heavily, trying to will her eyes to clear. She forced herself to take deeper breaths, steady her racing heart, master her panic.

  *I'm with you,* Shon said, his voice comforting as he rubbed against her.

  The world snapped back into roaring focus, and Jessira rubbed her Kesarin's shoulder in silent gratitude.

  Another large boulder was descending toward them.

  Again from Rukh's hands came the dense, golden bar. It was like light made solid. When it struck, the boulder disintegrated with a rapping crack. Stones of every size flew out in every direction, and Jessira hardened her Shield. A number of small rocks rattled against it. Shon yowled, and she extended her coverage, protecting the Kesarin. All along the line, a similar scene played out as the warriors defended themselves against the rocks and boulders that penetrated past the ruptured Oasis.

  Jessira turned to Rukh just as a marble-sized stone plunged through his Shield. It impacted against his head with the sickening thud of smashed melon. Rukh went down, limp and lifeless.

  For a moment, Jessira was sure he was dead. She rushed to his side, her heart drumming her terror.

  Aia reached him first. *He lives,* she said.

  Rukh groaned, muttering something unintelligible. “I'm all right,” he managed to mumble as he sat up. He tried to stand and stumbled about before falling to the ground once again.

  *We have to move,* Shon said, sounding frightened. *The Demon Wind approaches.*


  Jessira glanced heavenward. There, silhouetted against the blue sky was Suwraith, coming on fast. From Her issued a scourge of lightning and a ripping gale. Hail the size of a robin's eggs fell.

  *Put him on my back,* Aia urged. *I'll carry him to safety.*

  Jessira quickly did as the Kesarin ordered.

  *Hold on,* Aia told Rukh before she leapt away.

  *We have to go,* Shon said, his voice urgent. *You can't run fast enough.*

  He bent low, and Jessira immediately knew what he wanted. She clambered onto his back and settled herself behind his shoulders. She bent low and clutched his fur tight.

  The wind rushed against her face as Shon jolted into a dead sprint.

  Mother had already crushed the Oasis and hammered a hole in the Inner Wall. The Chimeras poured through the breach. As usual, howling Tigons led the way followed by hissing Braids, barking Ur-Fels, and hooting Balants. The Baels strode amongst their lesser brethren. Their bone-deep bellows carried above the clamor, and their glowing whips cracked out, giving special emphasis to their orders. The Baels were doing their best to slow the progress of the Chimeras, but Mother's warriors were a savage horde. They were an armed and armored tide of weapons and bloodlust that couldn't be held back forever.

  Li-Choke noted all this as he led his Baels and Tigons to safety—or at least as much safety as could be found in doomed Ashoka. They were joined in their flight by many others, some of them warriors that Choke's Baels and Tigons had been serving alongside when the Oasis had fallen.

  Like Choke, these warriors must have fled before Mother could reach them. Those who had not chosen the wisdom of retreat would already be dead by now. Just as She had at Stronghold, Mother had brought with Her a whipping sandstorm. With it, She had scoured all life from atop the Inner Wall. Any who had stayed to face Her might would be dust in the wind.

  “Where we go?” Chak-Soon asked after they'd travelled a mile or so into the city. During their short retreat, he had somehow been able to maintain calm in the face of this unspeakable disaster.

  Choke took a measure of courage from the Tigon. While Death would come for them all, the Bael hoped to face that dread gaze with grace and courage. “We'll go to the Shektan House Seat.”

  Before they could make their way west, a Smash of Chimeras surged out of a narrow lane. There was a lustful cry as the Chimeras took in the fleeing Humans, none of whom happened to be warriors. Balants were in the lead, and they paused long enough to hoot their wrath and smash their clubs against the ground. Their actions only served to clog the lane, and the Jut, the Bael commander, roared for them to press forward.

  Choke was about to gesture his Baels and Tigons into a wedge in order to attack the Smash, but he realized a better option was available.

  “Halt!” he shouted to the Balants.

  The elephant-sized Chimeras shambled to a stop, while Choke led his warriors forward. The rest of the Smash curdled in the alley, and the Humans took the distraction to scatter and escape. Good.

  The Jut in command managed to extricate himself past the Balants, and he strode forward, demanding to know why the Smash had come to a stop. He lashed out with his whip, striving to drive the Balants on, but he pulled up short upon seeing Li-Choke and the other Baels and Tigons. “What is the meaning of this?” he demanded.

  Choke merely rattled his rank feathers, the ones that proclaimed his status as a Vorsan. “The meaning of this is that you will offer proper respect to those of higher rank,” he said.

  The Jut drew himself to attention. “Yes, Vorsan,” he said. “No offense was intended.”

  Choke dipped his head in acceptance of the Jut's apology. “Be cautious with your attitude next time,” he advised. “It might not go as easily if you ever again speak to a superior officer with such disrespect.”

  “I will do as you say, Vorsan,” the Jut replied, still standing ramrod straight.

  “See that you do,” Choke advised. He eyed the Jut through challenging eyes a moment longer. He wanted the younger Bael to fear him too much to even think of questioning Choke's order. “Pass on my commands to any others you encounter. They come directly from the SarpanKum,” he said. “Mother wishes the pleasure of killing Ashoka Herself. As such, She orders that we are all to return to our places beyond the outskirts of the city's Inner Wall.”

  The Jut nodded. “Yes, Vorsan,” he said. “But what of you?”

  “Your role is to obey, not question!” Choke ordered. “We have our own mission. Now go!”

  The Jut nodded again and spun on his hooves. He shouted for the Smash to turn about and return in the direction from which they had originally come.

  Chak-Soon chuckled as the Jut led his Chimeras away. “Funny lie,” the Tigon said. “But is not lie a sin?”

  “If a lie saves a life, then how can it be a sin?” Choke asked, momentarily flummoxed that he was arguing philosophy with a Tigon while a city died around them. “Let's get to the Shektan House Seat,” he advised while Chak-Soon pondered his words. “You can answer my question there.”

  Jaresh sprinted for the end of the alley. Through the warrens of fashionable Trell Rue he raced on, and on his heels chased a claw of Tigons and other Chimeras, all of them braying for his blood. While he ran, hopefully Sign and Rector could escape. Not for the first time, he cursed himself for volunteering to carry out such a stupid plan. Unfortunately, there was no one else who could do what needed to be done.

  After the massive boulder had cracked open the Oasis like a hammer would a nut, the Chimeras had flooded forth in a mass of flesh and weapons. They'd been a rolling tide, seemingly unstoppable, claws out and vicious for the kill.

  But the Ashokans had been the obdurate dam that held them back. With sword, arrow, Fireballs, and courage, they had held—at least briefly. At least until the Sorrow Bringer had come. She'd descended like Death, and with Her arrival, the Ashokans had been forced to abandon their positions. While most had escaped the Queen's abrading winds, some had not. Of those who hadn't, Jaresh reckoned nothing more than a few chips of bones remained.

  Jaresh hoped Rukh and Jessira weren't amongst those who had fallen.

  *Your brother lives,* Thrum said, his voice filled with anxiety. *Reach the end of the alley before the Nocats catch you.*

  Jaresh took the Kesarin's advice and ran harder even as he hardened his Shield. In times past, he would never have stood a chance at outrunning a Tigon, but with his Kumma Talents, he could do so—barely.

  “Down!” someone shouted from ahead of him.

  Jaresh hurled himself to the ground. From ahead of him came a volley of roaring Fireballs. They blew through the Tigons, leaving them nothing more than incinerated hunks of meat. A greasy smoke filled the narrow passage, and it carried the stench of burnt flesh and hair. Jaresh's ears rang, and he coughed.

  Sign appeared before him. Dried blood coated one side of her face, while the other side was covered in soot. Her clothes were equally a mess. They were spattered with blood, dirt, and bits of gore. Her hair had come loose from its tie and haloed around her head in a riot of wild, unkempt strands.

  Jaresh knew he looked just as torn up. He certainly felt it, anyway. During the short battle atop the Inner Wall, one of his eyes had been blackened, and he'd suffered a gash across the chest. The cut had stopped bleeding, but it still caused him to flinch in pain with certain movements. Running down the alley had been brutal.

  Thrum shouldered past Sign and rubbed his head against Jaresh. *You shouldn't have taken such risks,* the Kesarin said, sounding unhappy.

  Sign hauled Jaresh to his feet. He swayed and would have tipped over if Thrum hadn't nosed him upright. Sign looked at him with concern. “Are you all right?” she asked.

  “I'll be fine,” Jaresh replied. They didn't have time for Sign to bother with Healing him. The Chims would be on them at any moment.

  Sign nodded acceptance. “Rector's fine,” she said. “A Shiyen physician Healed the wound to his leg.”

  “W
hat about us?” Jaresh asked. “What are our orders?” He noticed the warriors with Sign were dispersing without any particular organization.

  “We have none,” Sign answered. “The Sorrow Bringer is moving into the city. She's circling about like She's looking for something.”

  “Or someone,” Jaresh said, thinking of Rukh. The Queen had called him 'Linder Val Maharj' or something like that the last time She had faced him. According to Rukh, it was the name of the First Father; the name of Suwraith's Nanna.

  “Whatever the reason, She hasn't done much damage yet, but the same can't be said of the Chimeras. The wide streets are doing nothing to slow them down. And every time we stop to fight them, Suwraith arrives and kills anyone who battles the Chims.” Her fists clenched. “It's hopeless. We've been released . . .”

  “To be with our families at the end?” Jaresh whispered.

  Sign nodded, tears filled her eyes. “It's just like Stronghold.”

  *Aia and Shon are taking their Humans to the home of your parents,* Thrum said.

  A thunderous boom echoed across the city. Another.

  Thrum's ears wilted, and he shrank down in fear.

  Jaresh reached for the Kesarin and stroked his shoulder, offering comfort as he turned to the sound. There, hovering above the city was Suwraith. She hurled bolts of lightning. Fires sprung up wherever they touched. They blazed to life with a fiery rush.

  “The Queen,” Sign explained. “She's tearing the city apart.”

  Jaresh continued to stare, heartbroken as he heard the cries of pain and fear from people running for their lives.

  “We have to go,” Sign said, taking his hand and tugging him forward. “Before the Chims cut us off. Rector said he'd meet us at the Shektan House Seat.”

  “He isn't going to his own family?” Jaresh asked in surprise.

  “He said he owes too much to Dar'El. He said he's honor bound to defend him and his family.”