by Thomas Green
Lucas disappeared, and Luna dashed forward, sliding among the soldiers.
***
Zerae Hellwind stood by the edge of the mountain, peering down at the valley leading to the town of Snowhaven, hanging on her crutches. Every breath took effort and the mere idea of moving hurt. By her sides were Astril and Sibyl while behind her, the entire northern force of the Sil Haen stood ready, bows in hands, arrows prepared on the ground around them.
Zerae pierced Astril with a glare. “Give me the bow.”
Astril frowned. “You are barely standing.”
“I don’t care. The first arrow is supposed to be shot by me and so it will.”
Astril shook her head but handed Zerae a bow.
With a painful grunt, she straightened, grabbed the bow, and readied herself to let go of the crutches, hoping she wouldn’t collapse the next second.
Astril gazed down at the valley filled with the army of Kayleanne and Ebilezerhar. “I don’t want to ask annoying questions, but what is the signal supposed to be?”
I don’t know, but I refuse to admit it. Zerae pursed her lips. They waited, watching the main keep collapse.
Astril licked her lips. “It’s going to be really awkward if we betrayed Kayleanne, and poisoned the Voidwalker Matron with sleeping powder only to watch Kayleanne win.”
“Shut up, Astril!” Zerae bit back the feeling of despair crawling up her throat. She was right. They were betting on the Order winning here, and this looked like everything but its victory.
A pulse of power trembled blasted through the air from within the valley, a blast of pure aether filled with infinite bloodlust. Zerae gritted her teeth, straightened her back, raised the bow, knocked an arrow and drew. She managed a mere couple of inches before her arms gave out, releasing the arrow with almost no force.
Before her arrow fell from the air, a swarm of arrows flew high from behind her, covering the sun like a dark cloud. Pain burst from Zerae’s side, and she wobbled while Astril caught her mid-fall.
Zerae used every trick she knew to stay conscious. They failed her, and she drifted into unconsciousness while watching one barrage after another descend into the valley.
***
When Luna noticed the descending cloud of arrows, she knocked aside the nearest man, grabbed his tower shield and put it above her head. The arrows descended on the valley, killing thousands. Shouting filled the air as Kayleanne and Ebilezerhar tried to regroup their soldiers.
Luna tossed aside the arrows-filled shield and stole another one from another soldier. The ranks of the army of the demon princes whirled in chaos, not knowing what to do, think or where to face. She slid through them with ease, sprinting toward the sound of horns that started echoing through the valley.
The horns died out while tremors took their place. As the ground trembling intensified, Luna dashed to the platform that housed the throne of Ebilezerhar. Since the demon prince was busy being trapped in the town, the platform sat empty.
Luna leapt at its side, catching her claws into the mahogany wood, and flung herself up to see into the distance. The other end of the valley, a sea of red-gold banners flowed in like a river from a broken dam. With an earthquake on their horse’s hooves, thousands of Palai Order’s knights were charging forward.
The demon princes’ army had no hope of reforming their ranks. Since all the heavily armored soldiers of their army filled the town, unable to move due to the unending barrage of arrows, there was nobody to stop the cavalry charge. The first to face them were Kayleanne’s militia. Lune tried not to think of the men she met among the militia. They were innocent, fathers who were trying to protect their homes and sons who were trying to make a name for their families. They were about to die in a war that came uninvited to their lands.
Tears slid down Luna’s face as the Order’s knights ran over whatever defenses the army of the demon princes could scramble. The initial charge alone ran over half of the demon princes’ army, killing well over ten thousand soldiers. By the time the knight’s attacked stopped as the demon princes’ army managed to tar them with their numbers, the Order’s infantry was already rushing down the valley, catching up.
As the barrages of arrows continued, the enemy army did not manage to reform its ranks, turning the would-be battle into a slaughter. Luna glanced around and saw Lucas moving across the battlefield, soulstepping from one officer to another, ending their lives as a grim reaper gone mad.
The battle line soon reached the platform where she stood. Luna scanned the army to search for the largest banner and then ran toward it. Beneath the flag carried by another man, the tallest woman Luna had ever seen sat upon a horse bigger than she thought possible.
She held steel, forked bow, and kept releasing one arrow after another into the demon princes’ men.
Luna dashed to her side. “Junior Petty Officer Luna, reporting for duty.”
The woman smiled, her face clean with auburn hair tied at the back of her head. “Lucas said you lost some memory. Name’s Merewen, and we are on a first-name basis.”
I wonder how that happened. Luna smiled awkwardly. “Yes, mad… Merewen.”
She nodded. “Stay by my side for now. I will tell you when to move.”
Luna stood by the horse, observing the battlefront ahead. The archers standing by the sides of the valley kept sending one volley after another, drowning the demon princes’ army in despair.
Half an hour later, Merewen motioned with her hand and nudged her horse to move to the side. “Follow me.”
Luna did, and so did fifty more knights, but not the man holding the banner. They passed through the battlefront to the mountain’s face.
By a path unnoticeable unless one stumbled upon it stood a person dressed in midnight-leathers with a cape covering the featureless white mask the worn over the face. Luna focused and realized she had seen this body, for it belonged to the crimson-haired woman who met her on the watchtower. To the lover she didn’t remember.
The woman didn’t say a word and motioned them up the path. Sliding like a snake by the face of the mountain, the trail led them up to the ridge.
As they walked, Luna noticed a cordon of blue-black dressed soldiers led by Kayleanne ascending a similar path further on the mountain.
Luna gulped, and her heart froze. Lucas sent me here because I have experience fighting Kayleanne so I can help his general to kill her. She blinked a few times and bit her inner cheek to refocus. “We are going to fight Kayleanne, aren’t we?”
Merewen gazed down at her. “Yes.”
“I fought her before. She is surreally fast, strong, heavy, and keeps up strengthening that’s almost impossible to pierce through.”
Merewen nodded. “I will handle her.”
Luna shook her head. “Do you know Raven? The prince?”
“I saw him fight in the arena a few times, why?”
“She beat the brains out of him without breaking a sweat.”
Merewen’s expression darkened. “Noted.”
“We are teaming up on her anyway, so it’s not like that matters,” the woman covered by the white mask said.
Luna nodded, a touch relieved.
Merewen narrowed her eyes while motioning to the masked woman. “You don’t remember her at all, do you?”
Luna shook her head, catching a hint of sadness in Merewen’s eyes as she did.
She blinked, and the sadness was gone. “Her name’s Miranda. The rest should come on its own.”
They scaled the mountain, arriving at a mountain pass. At its other end, the leftovers of Kayleanne’s army were disappearing into a cavern entrance within the mountain while the demon princess herself sat by the side, holding the reins of her griffin.
When she saw them approach, Kayleanne called for ten of her men and handed them the reins. She reached inside her saddlebag to fish out the black orb Luna’s company stole from the pirates, gave it to her men, saying something Luna couldn’t hear and stepped toward Luna’s group while th
e men led the protesting griffin inside the mountain.
Merewen motioned her men to stop, leapt off her horse, and advanced on foot with her bow ready in her hand. Luna and Miranda flanked her sides, Miranda holding her chain-sickle while Luna extended the tips of her fingers into vicious claws.
Kayleanne stretched her neck as she saw them approach. “I’m afraid this tunnel is busy, so you will need to use another one.”
Merewen smiled. “Don’t bother buying time for your men to collapse the corridor.”
Kayleanne shrugged. “I thought you would enjoy a bit of small talk before I send you all to hell.” She threw her robes off her shoulders. The cloth fell to the ground with a boom as loud as if it weighed five hundred pounds. Wearing a simple leather tunic, Kayleanne stretched and drew her sword. “I am Kayleanne, the Sapphire Crane. Leave or perish by my blade.”
Merewen drew her bow and released an arrow, Luna charged, and Miranda soulstepped to Kayleanne’s side to launch the steel sphere of her chain-sickle at Kayleanne’s face. The demon princess slashed aside the arrow, ducked under the steel sphere, and bolted forward.
Luna slid into a whirl to slash at the demon princess’ legs. Kayleanne slashed her wrist, kicked her aside, and sprinted at Merewen. She dropped her bow and drew a massive maul while Miranda soulstepped behind Kayleanne, and Luna broke her slide, turning it into a dash after Kayleanne.
The demon princess parried the maul, swatted away Miranda’s steel sphere, flinging it into Luna’s face, and slashed after Miranda. She dodged with a soulstep, but the sapphire blade still grazed her, cutting her armor like soft butter.
Kayleanne whirled, slashed Luna across the chest, and stabbed Merewen’s thigh, piercing her plate. Merewen swung her maul in a wide arc while Miranda soulstepped back to strike.
As Luna wobbled, screaming in pain, Kayleanne slid toward Miranda, slashed her across the face, breaking her mask, spun to kick Merewen in the stomach while she stabbed Luna in the chest, and threw her away.
Kayleanne watched Merewen, Miranda, and Luna crawl to their feet, drenched in their own blood. She laughed. “Lucas must have gone senile if he thought the three of you would be enough to kill me.”
Luna, Merewen, and Miranda sprung to their feet. Not having any other move, Luna charged forward. Merewen swung her maul, sending away a blast of searing flames while Miranda soulstepped behind Kayleanne.
She darted to the side, avoiding everything. As Luna passed her, Kayleanne spun on her heel, stepped in, and slashed Luna across the chest, almost severing her in two. Luna spat blood and collapsed to the ground, screaming with pain. Kayleanne ran her sword through Luna’s chest and whirled to throw her over the cliff.
Miranda soulstepped to catch Luna mid-flight. As her arms wrapped around her and the scent of myrrh punched her in the nose, Luna remembered. She remembered who Miranda was, what she did for her, and how much she loved her.
Tears filled her eyes as Miranda put her onto the ground. Before Luna could say anything, Miranda soulstepped to Kayleanne to help Merewen. Kayleanne caught Miranda’s chain-sickle, pulled her in with a whirl and smashed her into Merewen before she stepped in to kick them. Her heel dug into Miranda’s stomach, making her spit blood, sending them both flying over the cliff.
Kayleanne smirked. “Pathetic.”
Luna growled, rage and despair boiling through her. Her back bulged, arms stretched and thickened while black fur sprouted over her upper body. Half-transformed, Luna bolted forward in blinding speed.
“See? You can do it.” Kayleanne smirked and blocked her claws, but the force of Luna’s blow threw her to the side. Before she stopped her flight, an arrow of pure flame flew at her face. Kayleanne sprung to dodge, but the passing arrow melted her tunic, searing her shoulder. A sharp shriek pierced their ears, and all around Kayleanne exploded into black flames.
Luna glanced over her shoulder. Merewen flew in the air, carried by massive, feathery wings made of flame while Miranda stood by the side, smoke coming out of her mouth.
Kayleanne straightened, two elegant horns sprouted from her forehead while her eyes turned black with sapphire irises, and a tail weaved behind her legs. “Better.”
Luna released a deafening roar and charged at her. Kayleanne stepped in and slashed, her sword but a blur. She cut apart Luna’s femurs, wrists, throat, stabbed her heart, and pushed the screaming Luna before herself as a shield. Miranda soulstepped behind Kayleanne to hit her with the steel sphere. Kayleanne spun, throwing Luna in the way of the strike while she leapt over Merewen’s arrow. Mid-air, Kayleanne whirled, caught Merewen’s ankle with her tail, and slammed her to the ground.
Luna recovered and bolted forward. Kayleanne stabbed at Merewen’s face. Luna blocked the stab with her palm, wrapped her hand around the blade as it pierced her hand and slammed herself into Kayleanne, throwing her away. Merewen bolted to her feet, released a massive blast of flames at Kayleanne while Miranda shrieked, making black flame explode around the demon princess.
Kayleanne rolled to the side, spat out blood, and charged Merewen. Luna stepped between them, swinging at Kayleanne’s face. She slid beneath her claws, spun forward and ran her blade through Merewen’s stomach. Kayleanne withdrew the sword, caught Merewen’s head and slammed her knee to her face. A thundering boom echoed through the air, and Merewen’s body went limp.
Kayleanne threw her aside, ducked under Miranda’s chain, and slammed her shoulder into Luna. She withstood the blow and bit at Kayleanne’s head. She dodged, stabbed Luna in the chest and weaved away. Miranda soulstepped to her side, but Kayleanne whirled and kicked her. Her steel boot sank into Miranda’s chest, sending her flying off the cliff.
Miranda’s chain-sickle swelled and extended into a massive steel snake, stopping her flight as Miranda’s aether exploded into the air, a pair of curved horns sprouting from her forehead.
Luna charged Kayleanne, grabbing after her legs. Kayleanne stepped in, slid beneath her claws and slashed Luna from the side. Her blade passed through Luna’s stomach, stopping only at her spine. Shrieking with pain, Luna collapsed to the ground while Kayleanne leapt backward, narrowly dodging a fist the size of a house made of black flame.
Luna turned after it, seeing a massive figure of a monster made of black flames that formed around Miranda.
With surprising speed, the fist withdrew and struck after Kayleanne again. The mountain cracked under the impact. Kayleanne barely dodged. She leapt to Luna, ran a blade through her heart and threw her at Miranda. She made an opening in the figure of flames not to burn her. From behind Luna, Kayleanne leapt out and ran her sword through Luna while she caught Miranda’s wrist with her tail. Kayleanne whirled, throwing them both to the ground while she kicked the steel snake off the mountain.
Luna spun to catch Miranda into her arms, her regeneration barely keeping up with the wounds. Kayleanne dashed to them, swinging at Miranda. Luna rolled over to shield her. Kayleanne’s blade cut apart her back. She spun and stabbed, piercing through both Luna’s and Miranda’s chests. Kayleanne whirled to cut their heads off, but with the last bits of her strength, Luna put her head to Miranda’s neck, making the sword slash her skull instead. When the sword shattered her skull, Luna lost the ability to move. All pain vanished, all other feelings did as well. She stared with empty eyes, unable to move, to speak, to feel anything.
Kayleanne raised the blade for the second slash. Miranda stretched out her arm, a tiny globe of darkness forming within her palm, drawing in all from around them. Air, blood, dirt, light, all was being sucked into the black globe.
Kayleanne darted to the side. The black sphere disappeared and reappeared next to her. She spun and leapt to the side, dodging the world-shattering explosion the black orb released. As an answer, the mountain trembled with another explosion, one coming from the mountain itself.
Kayleanne smiled. “Ah well, need to go.”
Through her blurring vision, unable to move, Luna her watched Kayleanne sprint to the cave, picking up he
r robes on the way. The cavern collapsed behind her. As Luna’s strength faded, and her body turned to normal, she fell unconscious atop Miranda.
32
Raven
Raven sat within the collapsed room, staring at the battle outside through a hole between the stones, not knowing what to think. A quick look at Zoey, who stood by a similar gap, told him she felt the same.
He broke the silence. “He played us pretty hard.”
She nodded. “Oh, yes. But I don’t think I’m the reason why.”
“What do you mean?”
“I eavesdropped on you asking him about Kayleanne. He knew from the start, so he made sure to never tell you anything important because of the risk of you leaking it to her.”
Raven sighed. “You’re apparently better at this, so what’s your theory on me and her?”
“It’s purely hypothetical, but I guess she was critical to whoever’s memories you keep seeing. And Lucas knows, because he knew the person, he knew both him and whoever Kayleanne’s ancestor was.”
Raven froze. “And now he’s going to kill her while putting me away so I can’t stop him.”
She shook her head. “No. Back in the forest, the only thing stopping him from killing her was the threat of her killing a couple hundred of his soldiers. In this siege alone, Lucas lost thousands, so that never mattered. He doesn’t want to fight her, not in person. But he has surely sent someone else to do it for him.”
“What should we do then?”
She shrugged. “I need to stick to him until the war in the south is resolved, so I have no option but to do as he told me.”
“But the battle looks like it will be over much sooner than in two hours. I’m not going to sit here and wait while he kills Kayleanne.” Raven pushed his magic into the collapsed ceiling, and it turned to sand, falling apart before turning back to stone. “So I’m going after him.” He put his shield above his head to ward off the descending arrows and climbed out. Zoey followed him, using a broken table for a shield.