“Oh, for Crystal’s Sake, stand still, man…!” Garrick sighed, pausing only long enough to choose his moment as he stepped forward and drove the point of his sabre straight into Lester’s left side beneath his armpit.
There was no cry… no word of protest; as Garrick withdrew the blade and backed off, Lester simply fell away and crumpled to the ground in a heap, his eyes closing one last time as a final breath wheezed from between his lips.
“Bastard…!” Nev bellowed, drawing on whatever remaining reserves of strength and adrenalin she possessed to force herself to her feet once more.
Garrick was fast enough to be able to block Nev’s first strike but he wasn’t quick enough to counter that and deal with Charleroi also as the princess attacked with the mace for a third time, swinging at him from a kneeling position. Even as he deflected the katana and turned it away to his left, the spiked head smashed into the back of Garrick’s calf, shattering it and bringing him crashing to one knee with a shriek of pain.
“Yyyyyyy-ah…!” Nev barked loudly, drawing on a kiai shout to boost both her strength and courage as she swung in with her follow-up attack, planting her feet firmly and easily adjusting her point of aim to compensate for Garrick’s sudden change in height as she swung the katana with all the force she could muster. There was the soft hiss off the slashing blade punctuated by a louder, far more terrible sound as it momentarily came in contact with something far more solid than empty air.
Nev turned and stalked away without waiting to see the results of her strike, frightened she might lose control of her stomach at the sight and almost gagging all the same as the soft thud of Garrick’s head hitting the ground reached her ears. Concentrating very hard on not throwing up, she instead cast her eyes about for Baal, only to find that the prince had made good his escape during the confusion and was lurching awkwardly toward Silas and the waiting horses. Moments later they were both riding at full speed for the treeline near the bend on Stewpot Road.
Nev knelt by Lester’s lifeless body, sobbing softly as she reached out and laid her fingers gently against his dirt-stained cheek. Tears streamed down her own cheeks as a dazed Godfrey and wounded Randwick drew near, their mental bonds having dissipated with Silas’ hurried departure. William still lay groaning off to one side, still not completely conscious but at least able to open his eyes and struggle into a seated position, clutching at the side of his head where a large lump had most definitely formed.
“Godfrey, I… I’m so sorry…” she moaned, staring up at him and unable to find anything even close to the right words.
“I saw it all…” he croaked, voice breaking with emotion and guilt as he knelt down at her side and laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “Couldn’t move… but I saw everything…”
“I… I should’ve… I didn’t…”
“It’s we who should be askin’ your forgiveness, lass…” Randwick observed solemnly, his expression dark with anger as he looked on from a distance. “…left to fight alone for all of us against the finest swordsman in the kingdom, while the two of us lay there like a pair of trussed-up boars awaiting slaughter…”
“But… but I saw… I wasn’t fast enough…”
“Nevaeh, listen to me…” Godfrey insisted, struggling to control his own sorrow as he reached up with one hand to gently turn her face toward his. “I saw you… I saw… and there’s not a man alive could’ve fought any better or any harder. There’s no blame in this other than with Garrick and Baal and that bastard, De Lisle... this was not your fault…” He drew her toward him then, embracing her in his arms and holding her tight as both of them spent a moment softly sobbing in shared grief.
The moment was short-lived however as the king groaned softly behind them, bringing everyone sharply back to the reality of the moment.
“Father… oh Gods, daddy…!” Charleroi wailed, borderline hysterical now as she scrambled across the bloodied grass and knelt at his side, desperately pressing down on the terrible new wound in his shoulder as if that might somehow make a difference. The damage from the sabre was terrible and the fact that it had completely penetrated his entire body meant that it was bleeding profusely from both front and back, making her efforts to stem the flow all but useless.
Randwick moved to kneel beside her while behind both of them, Nev and Godfrey stood hand in hand at a discreet distance, the shared experiences of battle and loss having forged a far deeper connection than had previously existed. A very groggy William staggered up to join then at that moment, dismay on his face as he took in the king’s current condition.
“No tears, now, darling girl…” Phaesus murmured softly, staring up into his daughter’s eyes as she cradled him in her arms and leaned back against the log stack at the rear of the enclosure. “Terrible enough there’ll be thousands dead at the end of this... what’s the life of one man against all that?”
‘You’re not going to die!” She bleated mournfully, trying to wipe at her eyes with her free hand. “There are doctors…”
“…All too far away, love…” he continued, shaking his head sadly. “I was never the warrior your uncle was, but I’ve seen enough of battle to know a mortal wound… You’ll be queen sooner than any of us expected…”
“Nev, for Crystal’s sake; the pendant…!” Godfrey hissed suddenly, able to take a moment to think clearly for the first time since the battle had started.
“What…?” She asked blankly, too tired and distracted by what was happening to pay enough attention.
“The king…!” He repeated urgently, nodding down at Phaesus. “Heal him… like back on the boat…!”
“Oh god, I’m such an idiot…!” She exclaimed with sudden, urgent embarrassment as she stuffed her hand into her jacket pocket and fumbled for the pendant inside. Drawing it free, she wrapped the chain about her left hand with the crystal firm against her open palm and knelt down at the king’s side, opposite the princess.
“That – that’s a Shard Crystal…!” Charleroi exclaimed, her words as shocked as William’s expression as they watched her bring the blue gem into the open for the first time. “Women aren’t allowed to have them…!” She blurted, speaking before she’d had a chance to think about it.
“Aye, and neither are they s’posed to see Keepsakes either, lass…” Randwick growled tersely, just loud enough for the princess to hear. “Let the girl do what she must, Your Highness…” he added, addressing the king now as Phaesus stared weakly up at him with a quizzical expression and Charleroi wisely decided to forego further comment. “She knows what she’s doing, I think…”
“A woman using a Holy Pendant…” William muttered softly, lifting his hand to his forehead in a Sign of The Shard in nervous superstition. “Not right… this isn’t right…!”
“You think it’s ‘right’ to stand by and let your king die, you young fool…?” Randwick snapped angrily, in no mood for discussion. “I’ll thank you to keep your bloody opinions to yourself if you’ve nothing useful to say. Let the girl get on with what needs to be done!”
“I just hope I’m not too late…” Nev muttered softly, nodding her respect to the king as he met her apologetic stare with a faint smile. “Your – uh – Majesty… I think I can help you… but I’ve only done this once before… it might hurt a bit…”
“Or possibly a lot…” Godfrey murmured unhelpfully, unable to help himself.
“You’ve fought well and with honour, mistress…” Phaesus observed breathlessly, his words slow and frail. “…As well as any man here today. Do as you will: you’ve already guarded me with your life and I see no reason for distrust now...”
“Sir… I’ll do my best…” She nodded humbly, not at all sure how to properly address a king.
Extending her left hand and holding the pendant over the wound in Phaesus’ shoulder, she closed her eyes and reached out carefully with her mind, searching for the half-remembered feelings she’d encountered as she’d healed Godfrey two nights before. It took longer this t
ime without Percy right there to nudge her in the right direction, but eventually she again felt that same sensation sweeping in and enveloping her in its power as she found her connection.
She opened her eyes once more and stared down at the wound, sparks of blue Dragonfire crackling up and down the length of her forearm as both William and Charleroi gasped in fear and everyone present took an involuntary step backward.
Show me… she thought silently, and her vision was instantly taken down through successive layers of flesh, bone and muscle as the power of the crystal flared and pulsed beneath her outstretched palm. She saw the damage… saw the ragged hole punched through the man’s body where the sabre had run him through… watched as what precious little life’s blood he still possessed continued to pump out through the exit wound in his back.
Heal…! She demanded, forming the idea as simply as possible in her mind and once again trusting the power of the crystal and the king’s torn body to work together to return everything to its original state. Just as had happened with Godfrey, arteries and veins linked up and reconnected as organs healed and flesh and muscle knitted and fused themselves back together, the strange warmth of it drawing a soft grunt from Phaesus as he bore the discomfort.
“It’s working…!” The princess burst out incredulously, almost unable to control herself as she watched the skin over the wound seal itself and gloss over into a reddish-pink scar. “Father, it’s working…!”
“That’s fine, dear… that’s just… fine…” Phaesus mumbled, trying to smile and almost fainting from blood loss as everyone’s moment of hope once more sunk back into fear for his life.
“He’d fading…!” Randwick urged desperately, all of them deeply concerned now by the greyish-blue pallor of the king’s face.
“Princess… some room, please…” Nev barked quickly, giving no thought to protocol or niceties as she shifted her position and used her empty right hand to take Charleroi’s shoulder and guide her out of the way. “There’s still more to do…”
“Come, lass… give her some space, now…” Randwick suggested, holding out his hand and drawing the reluctant princess back to stand with the rest of them.
“Alright, Your Majesty…” Nev continued to mutter as she settled in at his left and cringing, gingerly removed the sodden rags pressed against gunshot wound he’d received at the docks. “You’re not going anywhere just yet… just a little bit more to do…”
She raised her hand again, lowering the pendant to within a few centimetres of the ragged, angry hole the Beretta had blown through his chainmail and tried not to look too carefully at the damage that’d been wrought beneath. Blood started pumping out through the wound again the moment she’d removed the covering, and Nev stifled a gag as she closed her eyes and reached out again, far more confident this time now that she had a better idea what to ‘look’ for. All she found this time however was a solid, impenetrable wall of nothingness with no hint of light or sensation in any direction.
“Wait… no… not right…” she mumbled, the confidence dissipating quickly as her speed of doubt instantly stepped forward and took control. “Where… where is it…?” She hissed softly, stretching out with her mind again, only to find the same deep, overwhelming emptiness. An occasional spark flickered across her fingers as she searched, the intensity so negligible as to be almost non-existent, as was the faint glow emanating from the pendant itself.
“This isn’t right…!” She growled, shaking her head with eyes still closed as fear spread anew amongst the others. “It worked before… it did…! Heal…!” She insisted, sending her thoughts outward with much more force this time, boosted by the mental weight of frustrated anger.
We do not permit it…
The dark, hollow words echoed frighteningly inside her mind, causing her to sway slightly with dizziness as she struggled to cope.
You…! You again…! She shot back with quick fury, recognising the same voice from both her arrival in that world and her vision aboard Rapier. Get out of here! You can’t stop this!
Of course we can stop it… we already have… it countered evenly, too disinterested to bother gloating.
“No…! Hyah…!” Nev screamed, instinctively using her kiai shout to bring her extra power as she hurled the full force of her thoughts against that mental wall, imagining herself smashing at it again and again with her feet, her fists and her sword, pounding away in search of some weak point where she might somehow break through.
You’re not strong enough to challenge us… the voice boomed again, although there was a faint brittleness to it now, as if weakened and speaking under tension. You will not live long enough for that to happen.
“Hyah…!” She shrieked again, battering the wall a second time and sending ripples of blue energy coursing outward in all directions.
To the rest of the group, the scene being played out was an unsettling one to say the least. Eyes closed tight and both hands outstretched with fingers splayed, Nev had begun to rock faintly backward and forward, Dragonfire crackling and sparking up and down her right arm with far more intensity than it ever had as she’d healed the previous wound. With each loud and very verbal kiai (everyone flinching in fright each time the shout came) her left hand would push sharply forward and release a short, lightning-like bolt of blue energy that sizzled away from her palm at incredible speed and scorched the wood of the nearby barricade wall. All of them had quite sensibly positioned themselves behind her after the first of those blasts.
It serves no purpose… we will not allow it…
But – but I have to save him…! Nev pleaded now, realising she simply didn’t have the mental strength to break through whatever the barrier was. He needs to live…!
No… it replied simply, without the slightest shred of emotion. He needs to die…
“No… no… no…noooooo…!” Nev wailed, straining with as much mental force as she could muster despite already knowing beyond doubt that she wasn’t strong enough.
Dragonfire flared and grew, blossoming into a crackling, churning ball around her left hand that expanded out to at least a metre in each direction as the pendant itself lit up with a blinding intensity, turning from bright blue to an almost pure white as power that should’ve been channelled into healing the king was left with nowhere to go.
Below her hand, the mental block was now clearly visible as an invisible wall standing between her hands and Phaesus’ body, preventing any of that sparkling energy from penetrating far enough to have any effect. She felt him pass then… sensed it at the very moment the king’s heart finally gave up its valiant struggle and surrendered to the inevitable. With one last soft and almost mournful sigh, Phaesus’ head fell to one side and his mind and body were released into final oblivion.
XVIII
Dragonfire
De Lisle and no less than five brothers of varying experience had all collapsed to the ground, their legs no longer able to bear their weight as mental and physical exhaustion overcame them. Two of the younger novitiates were already unconscious while a third lay writhing on the sand, dragged feebly at his own hair and clothes and moaning incoherently with eyes wide and empty. It was obvious the man’s mind was gone, and judging by the intensity of what they’d just experienced, the cardinal would be very surprised if the other two recovered either.
The three who remained were extremely lucky to have survived mostly intact. De Lisle had actually felt his own sanity slipping away in those last few moments as they’d channelled the Shard Gods’ power into blocking the girl’s attempts to heal the king, and it was an experience he wasn’t likely to forget any time soon for the worst reasons. Had Phaesus held on for just a few seconds longer, all of them might’ve been left dying or mindless.
“He’s gone…” The cardinal wheezed softly, managing to prop himself up on one elbow as Harald and a small group of advisors all stood about, looking on with varying degrees of professional disinterest. “By The Crystal, it nearly did for us too, but he’s
gone… I felt him slip away…”
“I thought you said this witch was a ‘nobody’… that she was ‘harmless’…?” Harald observed darkly, mostly hiding his apprehension over the fact that it had taken six members of the Brotherhood working in concert just to prevent this girl from using a crystal of her own.
“And so I believed…” De Lisle admitted sourly, casing a suspicious, sidelong glance toward Persephone, standing off to his left. “It appears though that this is not the case.”
“And what of the old one – the brother you sent with Baal…?”
“His fate is his own,” De Lisle shrugged matter-of-factly, not particularly happy about the situation but recognising there was nothing he could do about it. “It’d kill us to try reconnecting with him right now… we’ll need at least a half-hour’s rest before I can risk trying anything else.” In fact, he felt like several hours’ sleep would be far more likely, but there was a war on after all and sacrifices had to be made all round.
“Can you give me a location at least?” Harald rumbled darkly, not at all impressed with that answer.
“That I can do…” De Lisle nodded weakly, nodding toward Percy for assistance and almost as surprised as she was as she instantly leaped forward without even thinking about it and took him by the arm, helping him to his feet. “They’ve taken refuge at a logging camp inland, not far from here…” he continued, limping slowly across to the huge map table with Percy at his elbow for support. “You’ll find them… here…” he said eventually, jabbing a finger down on the map at the appropriate place. “You have something in mind, Your Majesty…? Thank you, girl, I can manage from here…” he added in a whisper, passing Percy a genuine nod of thanks and bidding her step back, which she did quickly.
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