by K. Panikian
“I timed the fight,” Theo said. “Three minutes until the magic is gone, and then another minute after that before they collapse.”
“Good,” Cato said. “Now we need to think of a way to tell everyone what we know without telling them how we know it.”
“Right.”
WHEN Rurik and Bard came to switch with them later, Cato asked his dad how the Varangians killed balachko by the citadel.
The most common way was to surround it with warriors, so it couldn’t aim its fire or cold wind in just one direction. Then, when it wore itself out blowing magic, someone would start cutting off heads.
Another way was to blast it with energy bolts from a distance. The bolts wouldn’t kill it, but it would weaken and eventually fall unconscious, when it could be killed.
Rurik told the story of one balachko named Femor. It fought in Abaddon’s army and withstood a direct attack from a fire elemental during the citadel battle.
Rurik shared that the balachko, as they age, become more and more immune to magic. Their skin gets harder as they get larger too. Eventually, they turn fully to stone. That’s how they reproduce. Another balachko will then hammer the stone into pieces and each piece will turn into a new giant. There were no female balachko.
Theo then asked about the bes leader with the tall horns. It didn’t seem to be a specific species.
Rurik explained that under Abaddon, the besy had become more varied. It was said that Chernobog himself was creating the new besy, deep in a mountain to the east of the citadel. The new ones could control the other besy, to some extent. That was how Abaddon was able to form his armies.
“Has anyone tried to find the mountain and stop the creation?” Theo asked.
Rurik shrugged. “The elders have been more concerned with protecting the citadel and our surrounding farms and villages. All of our strongest fighters have been garrisoned at the citadel for the past several years.”
He continued, “Now that the bes army has been decimated, maybe the elders will authorize an attempt.” He shrugged again. “The younger generation,” he gestured at Bard, “is full of warriors who would go.”
Bard nodded seriously. “The war will continue. A new army will be built, if we don’t ruin Chernobog’s design.”
Chapter 29
We were almost back to the campsite when I got my idea. Julian actually prompted it. We were high up on the mountainside, the valley below us to the west, as we skirted the bes camp. The snow was deep but our feet only sank a little; this was old snowpack.
We were picking our way through the trees, avoiding the large boulders that were scattered around, when Julian noted that the valley was probably a glacial trough, carved out thousands of years ago by a glacier scouring its way along the earth’s surface.
He put on his teacher voice and said, “You can tell by how steep the valley walls are, and how the valley itself is u-shaped. Also, it’s probably why there are so many large boulders around.”
I nodded. He was right, the valley walls were incredibly steep. I’d slipped a few times and slid downhill before catching myself on a tree or a branch. “There are probably a lot of avalanches in this valley, with such steep walls,” I said slowly. I thought back to the battle yesterday and how I’d been able to shake the earth and create the sucking holes.
I dropped back to walk next to Astrid. Our moment of camaraderie yesterday after relaxing in Manya’s house hadn’t lasted much past breakfast this morning. Once we were on the trail again, she’d given only monosyllabic answers to questions and avoided walking next to anyone.
I asked her directly, before she could scoot ahead, “Can you tell me more about your air elemental powers?” I added some awe to my voice. “My Aunt Helen has the same magic, but I don’t think she’s nearly as strong as you.”
Astrid sniffed at my obvious flattery, but she answered. “I am the strongest air elemental at the citadel, yes. Probably for generations.”
“Can you make a defensive bubble out of air?” I’d read about that in Irene’s journals, but it wasn’t something Aunt Helen could do.
“Of course,” she answered.
“Can you describe how you do it? How long will it hold?”
She sighed heavily, but answered, “I push all of the air outward in a burst and hold it still. It makes a shield. It will withstand any blast, weapon or magical, and I can hold it for about thirty seconds.”
“How big can you make it? Like could you protect the eight of us inside of it at once, for the full thirty seconds?”
“Yes,” she answered. “I have held it over a whole farmhouse before, while under attack from a psoglav that fired energy bolts.” She paused and then added, “Nothing can leave the bubble either. It’s impenetrable in both directions.”
“Thanks!” I said to her brightly. I let her pull ahead and Owen caught up to me.
“What are you thinking?” he asked.
“I’m thinking that we lure the besy to the edge of the valley, where the slope starts up the mountainside, and then I cause an avalanche. It wipes out the cohort and Astrid puts a shield around our group to protect us.”
Owen thought for a minute. “It might bury us. Even if we’re under the shield when the avalanche spreads past us, it will bring a mountainside’s worth of snow and trees and rocks with it. When Astrid releases her shield, we could be under a whole slab of snow, maybe 12 or more feet deep.”
“Hmm, that’s a great point,” I said.
I called up to Astrid, who heard my and Owen’s discussion. “What happens when you release the shield? Does it just disappear or can you blast it out?”
She thought for a moment. “Usually, I dissolve it. I have never tried to blast it out. I will have to experiment.” Julian perked up at that and stepped up to walk beside her, asking questions about what she wanted to try.
I tabled my idea for now. It wouldn’t work if we ended up buried under the avalanche ourselves.
I tried to think of more possibilities as we trudged along, Owen’s presence steady by my side.
BUT, by the time we reached the campsite, I had no other ideas. It was about midday and Theo and Cato were heating up one of the Varangian’s trail food pouches over a small fire. They’d just switched shifts with Rurik and Bard.
I told them what happened with the todorats and Theo shared a couple of interesting observations after watching two balachko fight.
After we ate, I asked Astrid to try her bursting shield experiment. She agreed and asked Julian to bury her in the snow. He left her head uncovered until the end, when she formed an air bubble around it. Then he buried her the rest of the way. We watched and a few seconds later, the snow exploded off of her face in a burst of white. The force of it knocked Julian back a few steps.
I grinned at Astrid and she smiled back at me, obviously proud of herself. I asked her to try again with something heavier. She stretched out on the ground once more and Julian moved a few heavy rocks to cocoon her. He waited and then, when she formed her shield, he placed the heavy rocks quickly on her body and stepped away.
He looked anxious, his eyes creased with worry and his hands clenching open and closed. He looked ready to jump forward at any moment to uncover her. Just as he started forward though, the rocks blew outwards and away from Astrid’s body.
I felt confident that her magical skills were equal to my plan.
I set up my sock-drying tripod, joining Theo and Cato by the fire.
I outlined my avalanche idea and told them to think about any potential flaws. Then I walked down the slope and found Rurik and Bard and updated them on what we’d done after trailing the todorats.
There were no real changes in the bes camp. The two balachko that Cato and Theo saw fight had been moved into their tent where, presumably, they were still unconscious. The bes leader tried drilling the bauks again, with mixed results.
“It’s taking a lot for the leader to hold them all together,” Rurik noted. “The longer they’re away from
Abaddon, the more independent they feel.”
I told them my plan for creating the avalanche and Rurik liked it immediately.
“I think we are out of time,” he said. “This sounds like the best idea for eliminating this cohort quickly and getting back to the portal. My intuition is full of urgency right now.”
I agreed. “Let’s discuss it again tonight and if everyone agrees, we’ll do it tomorrow morning.”
That evening, with no objections voiced, I finalized the plan.
“We’ll stay on this side of the valley, so that we don’t cut off our access to the trail home. We’ll head down the trail into the valley at first light. They should notice us quickly and that will give them time to form up. I’m assuming they’ll charge us on sight, but hopefully, with some sort of military cohesion. We want them as grouped up as possible.
“When they’re bunched together and almost to us, I’ll shake the earth and cause the avalanche. As soon as I let go of my whistle and we see the snow start to slide, Astrid will create the shield.
“We’ll stay as close together as possible, to make it easier for her. As soon as the snow stops moving, Astrid will burst the shield outwards, with any luck knocking back any snow that ended up on top of us.
“From there, we’ll see if any besy survived. If they did, we’ll engage.”
Julian added, “In the event the shield doesn’t work, or doesn’t burst enough snow off of us,” he ignored the dirty look Astrid shot him, “let’s go over some quick avalanche safety tips. First, make an air pocket in front of your face….”
LATER that night, as I lay in his arms in our tent, I asked Owen if he’d ever been in a battle before when he was in the army.
“Once or twice,” was his vague answer.
When I pressed for more details his response was simple. In Afghanistan, every day was a battle. You went to bed not knowing if you would make it through the next day. Every night you thought about the possibilities – roadside bombs, suicide bombs, betrayal by the troops you were training… After a while, like the citizens of the war zone, you become inured to it. You wake up, you do your job as best you can, and you try and be kind. You go to bed and then you wake up the next day and do it all again.
I felt humbled by his recitation. I was in a battle, yes, but this wasn’t my home. If I got too scared, or I felt like I couldn’t win, I could leave. Maybe I would have a hard time living with myself afterwards, but at least I’d survive. I had a choice.
The people who lived near this mountain range and this valley didn’t have that choice. If we failed, they would die in a confusing and violent wave of magical monsters. Those monsters would gain a foothold here and then, unassailable by modern technology, that foothold would grow and spread.
If we failed tomorrow, if I failed, Manya would die, her sons would die, and her grandchildren would die.
It was too much. I didn’t want to think anymore. I turned to Owen and reached for his strong shoulders. I pressed us close as I sought his mouth. I kissed him hungrily, our noses and chins bumping in the darkness. He captured my face with his hands and gentled the kiss. I pulled away and tugged at his clothes, inhaling desperately his unique scent, musky and wild. It soothed and excited me.
“Slow down,” he murmured, kissing me softly again, and I shook my head. I pulled his heavy weight on top of me.
LATER, when Owen slept deeply and silently beside me, my mind circled with possibilities still. I thought of everything we had to lose. I thought of Manya’s family picture and those smiling grandchildren. I thought of Zasha and her mother’s teacakes, and the missing doctor whom we’d never found.
I grasped the hilt of my nightingale knife. I gripped it so hard I knew that the bird motif would stay on my palm for a while. I promised whatever gods were on our side, those we’d seen and any others, that we would do it. We would destroy this cohort of monsters and then, we would close the gate. Chernobog would not gain a foothold in this world and Manya’s grandchildren would be safe.
Chapter 30
We decided not to pack up the camp when we woke. We carried only our weapons down the hill. No one talked.
About halfway down the slope, the bes army spotted us. I watched the leader shout and wave his sword around. He lined up the bauks in the front and the other monsters fell in behind, with the balachko in the rear. Psoglavs held the chains of the two azhdaya.
They rushed away from their camp and toward us. We were nearly on the valley floor now.
My vision went double for a moment and I was catapulted back to my dream from the Alaska farmhouse and then the plane ride to Russia. I watched the bauk army in the snowy valley, standing in front of the charging creatures. The sun was warm on my head and I could hear the snow crunching under their stampede. I held my sword in my right hand and I felt the weight of a knife strapped to my thigh. My hands were steady. As the ogres ran toward me, I could see their yellow eyes. They swung their arms low, using one arm or the other to push off the ground for a burst of speed. As they approached, I could see the iron capping their curling horns.
A figure stood to my right. I recognized Astrid; she was waiting for the signal. I shook off the vision and dropped to my knees, digging down into the snow. I felt the bare, cold earth and I pushed out a deep, subsonic whistle, pulsing into the ground, searching. Deeper and deeper I pounded my whistle. When I found the spark, I turned and pulled, whistling a low, steady beat. I pulled again, bringing it to the surface. It winked at me in the blackness below. I trilled to it, coaxing it up until there, I felt it at my fingertips.
It danced for me and asked a question. I said no.
Then, I throbbed out my whistle in a wave, building to a crescendo. Each whistle drove a vibration deeper and further. I risked a glance up and saw the bauks were nearly on us. Now or never. I whistled one last tone, this one crashing through my wave of sound like an arrow and I struck the valley wall to the east. An incredibly loud boom shook the valley and the bes army faltered for a moment before continuing forward.
I stood and told Astrid, “Get ready.”
I heard a tremendous cracking sound and looked up to see a long slab of snow break apart on the ridgeline above us. It started sliding down the mountainside, picking up speed. Soon, it seemed like the whole mountainside was involved, with the fractures racing along to release snow in numerous slide paths. An immense roaring noise filled the valley. I saw entire trees uprooted and swept along.
“Now,” I shouted to Astrid.
She put her arms out, palms up, and then swept them higher than her head. Suddenly the noise of the avalanche vanished. We were inside the air shield. I started counting to thirty in my head and saw Theo mouthing numbers too.
I watched the destruction. The wave of snow hit the valley floor and spread out like a cresting wave of white water. The wave hit the army and immediately swept it under. The besy vanished in the churning snow and the surge hit the edge of Astrid’s shield. It broke around us.
I saw a boulder tumble past, scraping along the air bubble silently.
We were almost out of time and the snow was still pushing past us. Then, abruptly, it stopped.
In front of us was a wall of snow, probably fifteen feet deep. The height of the wall tapered around our bubble so that behind us, the snow was only a couple of feet higher than the ground where we stood.
Theo said out loud, “Five, four, three, two—” and then the shield burst.
The snow exploded outward and abruptly, we were standing in a crater, with a barrier of ice and debris surrounding us. A few chunks of snow tumbled into the crater with us, but the walls held.
I let out a deep breath and clapped Astrid on the back. “Good job.”
Rurik picked her up and spun her and she smiled down at him.
Owen nudged me and whispered, “Good job to you too,” and I winked at him. My hands trembled slightly with my adrenaline release and my energy exhaustion.
Theo and Cato quickly ran forward, in the
direction the besy had been just moments before, and starting climbing out of the crater.
“Careful!” Julian shouted. “There will be pockets of weaker snow. Don’t fall through!”
They slowed and we followed them up and out.
In front of us the valley was debris-strewn, white and gray. The river was gone beneath the mass of new snow and there were no signs of the bes tents.
I watched for movement. If anything survived, it would take them a moment to reorient and dig out of the snow. Maybe longer if they were unconscious.
“Rurik and Theo,” I said, “do you feel anything still alive?”
Both men grew still for a few moments. Theo blinked first and said, “Yes.”
Rurik nodded. “There are several pockets with heartbeats. Maybe four?”
“Can you pinpoint them? So, we can be nearby when they dig out, weak and hopefully, hurt?” Owen asked.
Rurik and Theo agreed and started in different directions, their eyes unfocused.
“Let’s split up. Owen, Theo, Cato, and I will take this area,” I gestured to the eastern side of the valley. “Rurik, you take Bard, Astrid, and Julian and search that area,” I waved to the west.
“Kill anything that moves.”
THEO led us to a patch of mounded snow. “There’s at least one heartbeat under here,” he said, “but it’s sluggish.” He gestured to another mound nearby, “Two more there.”
“There’s no pointing digging them out to kill them quicker,” I said. “Let’s sit tight and see if any of them actually make it to the surface.”
It felt cold-blooded to leave a living creature buried alive, but we risked too much digging them out to end their suffering earlier. We would need every edge if any of them did manage to escape to the surface.
I heard a shout to my left and turned to see a balachko erupt from the snow right next to Rurik. Bard immediately started blasting it with blue bolts while Rurik drew his twin swords.