“What’s happening?” Ambrosia cried in a panic.
“This is how the portal works. Do nothing,” Tyrus warned.
Cobaaron clutched Ky’s hand. He yelled over the roaring, churning waves: “Take in air the moment before the cave fills completely.” Before he finished speaking, the water reached their necks. They clung to the rocks and clambered above the violent surge. Soon they were pinned to the ceiling. “Breathe now,” Cobaaron commanded, and they complied.
The cave filled until they were completely submerged. They floated in the suddenly still water. Nothing happened. Several seconds passed and Ambrosia began scratching at the rocks in terror. Tyrus tried calming her, reaching for her hands. Bubbles escaped as she screamed while he prevented her from using magic. She struggled against Tyrus, and began to kick him. He overpowered her, pinned her arms to her sides, and blew air into her lungs. Instantly, Ambrosia relaxed. If Ky didn’t see her eyes open, she would have thought Ambrosia passed out. Tyrus kept his lips on hers, and a moment later, the cave’s floor collapsed. They dropped a few feet, but the water crashed over them painfully.
When the downpour became drizzle that dripped from the rocks above, Ky discovered they were in a large cave overlooking a dark valley. They slowly stood. Ky’s muscles hurt, and she wobbled as she stood. She felt beat up. Prism fled her wet hair, and flew around to dry herself.
“I never, ever, want to do that again,” Ky said, feeling a headache approaching. She was sure she had whiplash.
“From now on,” Ambrosia panted, “I need more warning. I don’t do well when trapped and unable to use magic. My biggest fear is suffocation. I never want to take a portal like that again. Not if it means nearly drowning.”
“Quiet,” Cobaaron barked.
Ky heard the stomping of marching men. Soon over a hundred warriors surrounded them. They wore blood-red iron armor that accentuated their abs and pecs, making them look strong and intimidating. Otherwise, they could have passed as Cobaaron’s warriors, because they also wore scale skirts and sandals.
A single man, carrying a dragon-etched shield, stood out from the others. More men marched into the cave as they pounded their chests with their weapons, announcing their presence. They crowded in until they were surrounded with hundreds of warriors. The man with the dragon shield approached, while the other warriors aimed drawn arrows at Cobaaron.
“Maxis, you’re at the gates of Rathe’s castle for a reason, I presume,” Cobaaron stated coolly.
“I hear rumors. Some say you move like lightning,” Maxis said. “Others say you have the strength of a hundred men. While others state that you are weakened with a union to a wench, or was it a witch.”
“Watch it, Maxis, or I won’t permit you to live,” Cobaaron snarled.
“I suggest you be polite to me unless you can now dodge arrows,” Maxis cautioned.
“There is only one way for you to find out,” Cobaaron said coldly, daring him to make a move.
Maxis laughed. “You’re so arrogant. One of these days you will reach your limit. And I think today is that day.” He paused to look over Tyrus, Ambrosia, and Ky in turn. “I’ve made a deal with Zevera,” Maxis addressed Cobaaron again. “She promised me your army, if I brought you to her, close to death. You’re a few days earlier than she said you might get here, but I am prepared. She was correct about where you would drop from, though. Where is your army?”
“They’ll be here soon. When I need them, but not now,” Cobaaron said to Maxis, but he was obviously instructing Ambrosia not to open her room. Tyrus understood Cobaaron’s order, and pulled Ambrosia to his side.
“You don’t need your men? You only need a warrior, and two women? You think to defeat a quarter of my army with so few? You’re getting prideful, Cobaaron. Be careful. That is how men die.”
“I know my limits.”
“So, which woman is yours? I hear she’s beautiful beyond belief. They’re both goddess-like in appearance. However,” Maxis slowly walked around the four, assessing Ambrosia and Ky. His finger grazed a red stripe on Ky’s arm, and he followed the mark downward as he spoke a single word with each step, saying, “I...think...it’s...her.” Maxis clenched Ky’s arm, and flipped her palm right side up. He read Cobaaron’s name written on her palm, and sneered proudly.
“Release her, Maxis! I don’t like men touching what is mine.” Cobaaron glared. “If you value your hands, you will release her.”
“Don’t worry, Cobaaron. Why would I kill her when I’d much rather let her watch you die, and see your soul escape.”
“Don’t you dare touch him!” Ky yelled, her anger rising. Her shrill cry echoed.
Maxis guffawed, which only vexed her, when he thought her attempts to protect Cobaaron were laughable. It made her blood boil. “Your little woman protects you, Cobaaron. She weakens you with such talk; she fights your battles. You have lost your touch if you need a Star to protect you. That’s right. I know all about you, Ky. I knew you by your red stripes. Zevera explained your robe, too.” Maxis grabbed her by the hair and yanked. Her cloak was wrenched from her body. Because she was angry, her light was brighter than usual. “Kill them. I want them dead.” Maxis tossed the robe, smacking Tyrus in the face to temporarily blind him.
“No!” Ky screamed. Light beamed from her fingertips when she saw the men draw their bows. Tyrus instantly wrapped himself and Ambrosia in the cloak. They were not fully covered when Tyrus’s and the warriors’ movements slowed almost to a standstill. Maxis seemed to freeze mid-step, his expression twisted with pain. Without warning, Ky lost control as she watched men release their arrows. Everything stopped.
Ky lunged for the arrows rocketing toward Cobaaron. She meant to redirect them away from Cobaaron, but light from her fingertips sliced the wood like a laser. Her hair blazed as she spun around Cobaaron, making a protective barrier; her long hair whipped through the warriors, slicing bodies wherever a strand touched. Rays of light extended, and severed everything it touched.
Before she realized what she had done, Ky circled her group, mowing down men and iron with her light until Cobaaron was the only man left standing. Prism swirled around the rays in a streak of silver, as things sped up again. His body soaked in her light, but he bellowed from the intense pain. She was hurting him. Her light dimmed and her skin cooled. “Cobaaron,” Ky cried and when she spoke his name, the enemies dropped. Time no longer moved slowly.
Tyrus and Ambrosia lay crumpled. If the cloak covered them, she couldn’t see it. Cobaaron reached for her, as Ky stared at the bodies. She found it unbelievable that in one second she wreaked havoc. “Ambrosia,” she cried, unable to admit she killed her friend.
Ky covered her eyes. She simply didn’t want to see how many people she destroyed. “Ky,” Cobaaron comforted her, pulling her hands from her face. He made her look at him. “You were moving at the speed of light. It was incredible.” When she opened her eyes, she saw Ambrosia and Tyrus looking around the cave as they stood. Ky laughed, and then because her mood changed from dread to bliss in a second, she wept with joy. She hugged Ambrosia tightly, confessing she thought she killed her.
When Ky loosened her grip, Tyrus stripped off the robe. “I’m fine, Ky.” Ambrosia patted her arms to make sure.
“Hey, now.” Cobaaron rubbed her back when she hugged him again. “Love, you’re protective of me. You’re a Star. They can do unbelievable things to protect those they love. Your life depends on it. Don’t trouble yourself over this. We’re fine; Ambrosia is fine,” Cobaaron said, trying to cheer her up. He ducked his head to look in her eyes. “You eliminated at least a hundred men. That’s sexy.”
“I won’t ever get use to killing people,” Ky said. “I thought I killed Ambrosia. That was awful!”
“You’ll never get use to killing. This is why I want you to focus on who you saved.” Cobaaron praised her, “You saved all of us.”
“I’m grateful,” Tyrus said. “I didn’t even break a sweat.”
“You saved me,
too,” Ambrosia mumbled, looking at Tyrus. “It was quick thinking to cover us. Thank you, Tyrus.”
“Does this mean you have forgiven me?”
“No,” Ambrosia said, snatched the robe, and then left his side.
“Let the warriors out of your room. Even though Maxis is dead, his army will still fight for Zevera, and complete their mission. We’ll find the rest of Maxis’s army. But be prepared. I’m sure he had a backup plan if any escaped the cave. We’re most likely walking into a trap. Be vigilant, Ky.”
Ambrosia opened her room, and Noxis was the first to leap out. He eyed Ky with trepidation, and she was certain it was because he witnessed her actions. Ky stiffened, detesting the way he judged her. “Noxis, you’re not leaving Ambrosia’s room until you have bonded. I have no patience with you. We’ll leave a few warriors, to keep the women from squabbling. You must fulfill the bond, and until you do, you’re in charge of the women. As your chief, it’s an order.” Noxis was visibly disappointed. “Send out the troops, but assign a few hundred guard duty.”
“But I’ve always been at your side during a battle,” Noxis conveyed, but when Cobaaron didn’t reply, he added, “As you wish.” He sounded defeated, gave a small bow, and went back into the room. Ky saw the hatred in his eyes. She knew then Noxis resented her for separating the two of them.
Men trickled out of Ambrosia’s forest. The warriors packed the cave, standing on the dead. When there was no more room, Cobaaron led them outside, and then ordered them to line a long, narrow ledge.
Ky could see a vast valley of rubble several hundred feet below. In the distance, a tall castle as large as a mountain hovered a hundred feet above ground. Legions upon legions of warriors stood guard, positioned between them and the castle, to ward off Cobaaron and his men.
“If I were Maxis,” Cobaaron began in a hushed tone, “I’d have a few of my men above the cave exit, young Tyrus. Wait for them to chase us down the mountain, and take their shields to guard your back. You will seal your legendary status as a great young warrior by astounding my men with your fighting skills. Now would be a perfect time to show you are more than a mere warrior. Prove to me that your heart is in fighting and not elsewhere. Secure your future position in this army; earn my men’s respect. Show all your skills. At least, that is what I would do.” Cobaaron turned to Ambrosia. “I suggest you and Ky stay in the room until the battle is over. This is no place for women. Keep my partner safe. They’ll rush us as soon as more men have spilled out of the mountain. Go now.”
Cobaaron took Ky by the arm, playfully but gruffly tugged her to his side, and then kissed her passionately. “Go, love.” He whirled her around, and squeezed her taut cheek, telling her to go again.
Ambrosia opened her room, took Ky by the hand, and they went in. They bumped into a long line of warriors exiting. “What happened? I was trying to walk out and it knocked me back.”
“Sorry, I thought all the warriors stopped trying to crowd out because the cave was full, and reopened the door. The last door always closes, instantly. I only have one.”
Ambrosia widened the opening, and then they stood aside watching men hurdle to the mountain. It was strange that they were standing on moss, but outside there was no ground under their feet; they were a couple yards away from the mountain. Ky saw the valley below crystal-clear. When she studied the valley, Ky realized that mingled among the warriors were solid black guards. They appeared inhuman, but in the dark, she was uncertain.
Ky gasped. As Cobaaron postulated, there were over three hundred men perched above the cave entrance. None of the warriors were looking. Ky began to warn the men as they left to fill the narrow ledge.
“We know, woman; Cobaaron already told us. And you’re to shut this door the moment the men charge. No matter if a great number of men are stuck in here,” a warrior said as he exited.
“I really hate being called woman,” Ky grumbled; she watched the warrior leap to the mountain, before he was hoisted up and merged with his comrades.
“It’s meant as an endearment. He must find you beautiful if he risked punishment for ignoring the fact he needs to call you ‘my Lady’,” Ambrosia explained as she watched the opposing warriors uneasily. “They come.” Ambrosia pointed.
“Close your room.” A warrior commanded and jumped before Ambrosia sealed the realm.
Maxis’s warriors were on them in seconds. Cobaaron’s men continued to expose their backs. But then, with seconds to spare, they whipped around in unison. The two armies clashed. Cobaaron’s men fought, trying to take their enemies’ shields. Cobaaron leaped over the oncoming warriors, using shields like stairs, and ran up the mountain. As he did, he wrenched an iron plate from one of Maxis’s men by ripping it from his arms; the bones snapped, and tore free from the warrior’s shoulders.
Cobaaron claimed another’s sword, and in a single circular swipe he killed six men. Cobaaron was making his way to a particularly large, beastly man. Cobaaron picked up speed, rid the shield of the former owner’s dangling arm, and tossed the plate onto his back. He dodged, sensing men behind him. He possibly heard swipes taken at the armor on his back, because he gracefully rolled around, driving his sword into men who tried smiting him.
Cobaaron again ran for the giant of a man. His fluid movements were at speeds she had never seen Cobaaron move before. Though the opponent was much taller, Cobaaron lunged for him. The tall, beefy foe swung a spiked ball on a chain at Cobaaron, but then he dropped like a heavy stone. Sparks flew when Cobaaron thrust his sword into a link of the chain, and jerked; the spiked ball slammed into the man’s head.
Cobaaron spun out of the way, yanked his sword out of the chain, and used both weapons to chase men down the hill as he battled.
“He’s untouchable. He’s amazing,” Ambrosia breathed in awe.
Ky was going to agree, but then she saw Ambrosia wasn’t talking about Cobaaron. Ambrosia was watching Tyrus. Ky followed Tyrus’s fighting. As Ambrosia said, he was amazing and untouchable. As Cobaaron told him, he had a shield on his back, and he had stolen a whip. He wrapped it around men’s necks and flung them off the mountain to their deaths.
Cobaaron appeared at Tyrus’s side, and together they jumped backward, using their shields as sleds. They never ceased fighting Maxis’s warriors as they slid down the mountain. Maxis’s men bounded after them, hurling weapons. Tyrus conjured a wild gust of wind that crushed the rocks threatening to clobber them. Then Cobaaron’s warriors soared from the ledge in chase. Maxis’s warriors followed, and men on both sides slew each other.
Tyrus continued to yank men from the mountain with his whip. Cobaaron kicked men away, tossing them off the steep slope, and then bashed others with the spiked ball, flinging them to the jagged rocks.
Soon the men were halfway down the mountain, as the battle raged far from Ky.
“Let us out. We want to fight,” a warrior demanded.
“Cobaaron said not to open the door. I can’t, and won’t open my door.”
“We need to join them. Open the door!” the same warrior growled threateningly. “Let us out!”
“Alright,” Ambrosia snapped defensively. She opened her door wide enough that five men could rush out, and pursue the enemy. Warriors complained they weren’t exiting fast enough to aid their comrades. Ambrosia expanded the door, drawing a horizontal line as she ran along the wall, until the men sprinted out a hundred at a time.
Ambrosia and Ky stepped out of the way, as Cobaaron’s legions left, and her room quickly emptied. When only a few hundred men, all the women, Huntra and miscellaneous magical creatures remained, Ambrosia began closing the wide opening.
A woman screamed and pointed. “Close the door,” Octavos roared.
A huge dragon swooped to the mouth of the cave. Ambrosia ran faster to seal the door. The dragon dropped to the ledge, nudged its head into her room and breathed fire. Trees deflagrated.
The wooden warriors’ castle glowed like orange charcoal briquettes, the small toys ran, but in
stantly burned to ash. Ambrosia’s wall of magical instruments exploded with an enormous blue flame, and then changed colors before it expanded in a mushroom cloud of gray smoke. The blast slammed Ambrosia, Ky, and Huntra against the invisible but solid wall. The barrier rippled violently. At Ky’s insistence, Ambrosia threw on her cloak and held onto Huntra and Prism. “Protect Huntra, Ambrosia! I can’t be burned while you two can.”
The dragon continued to breathe fire. The forest creatures fled, running deep into the woods and as far from the dragon as possible. Then the large, black, spike-tailed dragon wiggled into the room. The few remaining warriors surrounded Athaya, Wyt, Yulley and Surv. Noxis held Onya’s arm. Once abandoned, the unprotected women fled into the burning woods. Octavos pushed his partner and Yulley into the pond. Noxis shoved Wyt into the water. Surv leaped in after his father. The warriors followed suit, but only a few made it after Noxis plowed his bond partner into the safety of the water, because the dragon entered Ambrosia’s room, and breathed fire at the pond and the trees surrounding it. The fire became a magical, unquenchable inferno.
“Don’t grow, Huntra.” Ambrosia begged as he squirmed. Ky scolded him when she saw him double in size. This was not a time for him to be brave; he’d be scorched to ash by dragon fire if he fought to protect Ky.
The dragon inhaled, and then loudly exhaled, igniting the rest of the nearby woods. Ambrosia ducked, while Ky felt the heat blast around her. Soon, half the forest was incinerated. Then Ky saw Zevera sitting on the dragon’s back. She steered the dragon by a spiky horn, directing the beast at Ky, Ambrosia and Huntra. Ambrosia screamed, certain it would emit fire. Ky threw herself at Ambrosia, Huntra, and Prism in case the robe didn’t protect against a direct hit of dragon fire. But instead of cremating them with fire that wouldn’t snuff out, sharp claws clinched Ambrosia and Ky, capturing them. Huntra fell to the mossy ground. The dragon turned and wriggled out of the door.
The Coming Dawn Trilogy Page 57