Shar-Lumen’s Nhia-Samri were doing similar, if not as spectacular, maneuvers. She’d managed to take out another thirty-six of them, but as Shar-Lumen and his warriors struck the ground, her drone force was down to 1,679 enforcers and 115,306 combat drones. Shar-Lumen had only lost ninety-four warriors, leaving him with 256 warriors at his back.
Twenty-three of Shar-Lumen’s warriors had landed on the rooftop of the Mages’ Guild, exchanging blows and magical blasts with the mages. The Guild mages barely managed to hold their own against the attackers.
“We have 49.3 percent drone losses in twenty-three minutes and eleven seconds, to his twenty-seven percent losses.”
Arkady continued to concentrate on attacking the rest of the Nhia-Samri units.
“Well, with the loss of our combined concentration on the already present attack forces, and pulling the drones up to deal with Shar-Lumen, the Nhia-Samri already here have turned the attack around. They have the palace nearly surrounded.”
“Did you get the mage, at least?” As Vesta asked, the same mage flashed across a display. “Never mind, I saw him.”
Shar-Lumen had started moving through the city with his personal unit. Vesta fumed at the monitors. He looked completely serene as he sliced through Daggers, mages, guards, drones, and enforcers. Watching their progress, she realized what was different. She reviewed all the sensor logs showing Shar-Lumen’s unit as they essentially parachuted into the city.
“All in Shar-Lumen’s personal unit are mages!”
Arkady turned around. “That’s going to be a problem. We need bigger guns, and lots of them.”
“STOP!” Electra’s scream caught everyone by surprise. Even Shar-Lumen paused, his blade an inch from slicing into a Dagger. The strike would’ve probably cut him in half. How Shar-Lumen had frozen like that was remarkable in itself.
Vesta cried out at Electra as she realized what was about to happen. “NO! YOU CAN’T!”
Around the city, everyone was frozen. It was an odd tableau of scenes. Electra had stopped everyone and everything with that scream. Arkady held the combat drones and enforcers where they were, hovering, ready to continue the fight.
“Do we hold?” Arkady asked.
“She’s going to surrender,” Vesta squeaked out past her fear for Electra.
Arkady looked over all the data. “With Shar-Lumen here, we’re going to lose unless we launch the war ships. And even if we do that, they’ll take some time to get to Llino. I’m not even sure they could fly at the moment. We haven’t activated any of their systems or done even a simple diagnostic on them. In addition, it would take one of us to fly one without a crew on board, and that would reveal our presence to the assembly.”
While Arkady was talking, Electra typed a message to Vesta on her console in the throne room. ‘Rainbow, I have to.’
Electra’s voice, strong and unwavering, came through the city’s announcement system. Ellua had stopped giving updates on the Nhia-Samri movements as well. “Grand Warlord, I know you have come for us. I can’t abide any more bloodshed. If I surrender myself to you, will you order the Nhia-Samri to leave Aelargo, and return Regent Bayion unharmed?”
A great outcry came from around the city as guards, Daggers, and citizens shouted protests.
The Dagger facing Shar-Lumen knocked his blade aside and thrust his sword at Shar-Lumen, but the Grand Warlord shifted out of the way, sheathing his own blades. His hands snapped up to grasp the Dagger’s blade and arm. With a painful twist, Shar-Lumen took the sword away and kicked the Dagger backwards, onto his backside.
Shar-Lumen tossed the Dagger’s sword aside and looked up in the air. “The Nhia-Samri will abandon Aelargo until invited back by its rulers...on two conditions. One, you shall open the palace, and allow me to escort you out. And two, you and Lord Bayion will cheerfully remain our guests at Hisuru Amajoo until we allow you to leave.”
“No, Electra. You can’t do this. We will defeat them. I won’t allow this,” Ellua said.
“Lord Bayion has not agreed to this. I cannot speak for him. I can only speak for myself. I offer only myself as your hostage.” Electra said resolutely, ignoring Ellua’s plea.
Shar-Lumen stared at the drones and enforcers hovering around him. He grasped the hilt of his odassi, and when he spoke, his voice came clearly from every odassi in the city.
“I agree to your terms, Countess Electra Neyon. I shall speak with Lord Bayion individually. It shall be up to him how he spends his time as a guest of the Nhia-Samri. We shall abandon Aelargo entirely, until we’re invited back by the rulers of Aelargo, given that you are cheerfully inviting me to the legendary palace of Llino, and accompanying me as my royal guest to Hisuru Amajoo until such time as we allow your departure.”
“I agree. Ellua, please order the city to stop. We cannot win this day. But this will save Aelargo.”
Across the city, the Nhia-Samri saluted those warriors and drones they were facing, and sheathed their swords.
“NO! I won’t do it!”
Shar-Lumen put his hands on his blade hilts, focusing on the drones hovering around him. Around the city the Nhia-Samri also placed hands on hilts.
Electra said, “Ellua, please listen to reason. Look at how many have died. I do this freely. Besides, Shar-Lumen wouldn’t dare harm me. Lord Dohma is already marching for Hisuru Amajoo. We know that’s where the final battle must take place. Ellua, please, for me, do this.”
Electra’s voice was carried throughout the city for all to hear. Shar-Lumen frowned at something for only a second, but then his face went back to a neutral look as he stood, waiting.
Ellua looked at the displays and finally nodded. “All hostilities between the forces of Aelargo and the Nhia-Samri are hereby suspended. Guards and Daggers, attend to the wounded and assist the Nhia-Samri as needed, with courtesy, out of our city. Grand Warlord, you...are invited to the palace.”
Electra told Ellua the commands to turn off all the defenses, and to cut off the announcement system, which she repeated. The palace shield winked out as Shar-Lumen walked at a rapid but dignified pace towards the palace. His personal unit formed up into ranks behind him as he moved. Citizens came out of hiding to help the wounded and glower at Shar-Lumen’s procession.
Vesta was trying to decide how to react. She and Arkady watched the throne-room monitors, trying to determine what to do. The drones had been set on auto return. Maintenance systems were covertly grabbing damaged drones before anyone thought to take the parts. She had repair units moving to get the missile hatches repaired and closed.
Electra hugged Ellua. “Don’t worry about me. He’ll take good care of me. Please, Ellua. You must do as that new song everyone is humming says, ‘Teach the children how to be strong and conquer fear.’ Protect our family’s future, your children, Bayion’s children, and all the children of Aelargo. Keep Aelargo safe and give us all hope. Lord Dohma will come for me, I know this. In the meantime....” Electra said, turning to her Dagger guard captain with a grin, “Mandy, you’d best hurry and change clothes.”
Mandy looked at Electra and raised an eyebrow. “Into what?”
“I’m not going anywhere without my handmaid. Now, go quickly. You also have to pack some of my things, especially my jewelry box.”
Mandy took only a second to process the orders. “Handmaid. Right.” She grinned right back, even with a reasonable curtsy. “Oh, yes, m’Lady. Jewelry box. I know just the one.” She turned and slapped one of the larger of Electra’s Daggers. “You’re captain now.” She ran full speed from the room.
Vesta watched, feeling helpless, as Shar-Lumen strolled into the palace and up to the throne room. As he walked in, he looked over everything with a keen eye. Of course, by that point, all of the displays and other armaments had been turned off and vanished. Shar-Lumen entered the throne room and walked strai
ght up to Ellua and Electra. The women stood in front of the regents’ thrones.
He executed a formal bow. “I am pleased to meet the restored regent.”
Ellua’s back was as stiff as a sword. “I am not pleased to meet you. I warn you, if any ha — ”
Shar-Lumen waved his hand at her. “Lady, you have nothing to worry about. I never intended any harm to you or your family.” His eyes moved to Electra. “So this is the woman who shall be the new co-chief regent. I am extremely pleased to meet you, Lady Neyon.” He bowed again.
Electra nodded. “A formal announcement has not been made.”
“No, but Lord Dohma has already made his choice, hasn’t he?”
Electra’s cheeks blushed, and she looked away. She stepped up to Shar-Lumen. “I am your hostage, sir.”
Holding out his arm, he said, “No, my Lady. You are my guest, with some circumstantial requirements.”
Vesta could see Electra’s pulse had shot up, and she hesitated. Although her skin indicated she was terribly afraid, she still put her hand on his extended arm and followed him.
Shar-Lumen bowed to Ellua. “Lady, I shall send you news of your brother’s decision as soon as possible. I presume it will be allowed for a pair of junior warriors to carry messages between our nations?”
“I’d prefer not.”
Shar-Lumen paused and looked at Ellua. “Communications will be difficult without a trusted courier.”
Ellua indicated two of Electra’s Daggers, dressed in the Aelargo guard uniforms. “Would you guarantee the safety of these Daggers?”
Shar-Lumen looked at the Daggers. “They can stay close to Lady Electra.”
Ellua looked shocked that Shar-Lumen accepted the idea.
“We shall leave a single gate terminus outside of your city. No one will come through without first getting your permission.”
Ellua’s lips tightened, but she nodded once.
He turned and began escorting Electra out. As they moved, Mandy stepped in behind, leading four large trunks carried by some palace servants.
Shar-Lumen again paused with his eyes landing on Mandy, who was dressed in a servant’s blue slacks and a white linen shirt and leather vest. His eyes went from her to the trunks, and his eyebrow shot up. “I didn’t expect you to pack nearly so much. And who is this?”
“My handmaid, of course. If I am your guest, then I shall require some suitable clothing. I have no idea what Hisuru Amajoo is like, so I had her prepare a limited selection.”
“Hmmm....” he intoned as he looked at the baggage, but he didn’t protest. Without a further sign, he escorted Electra, Mandy and their baggage collection out of the palace. The Nhia-Samri took the trunks from the palace servants and fell into line. Together, they walked through the city, towards the western gate. Many of the streets they walked were littered with dead warriors, and all had bloodstains, both Nhia-Samri and Aelargian. Still, people came running to line the streets, many with their hands on their hearts. Guards and Daggers stood at attention and saluted as Electra went by. Shar-Lumen walked, without comment, out of the city.
Vesta paced back and forth as she monitored them walking out to the Nhia-Samri camps. Electra didn’t even look back once. She held her head high and stepped with grace through the mage-gate.
Vesta stomped her foot and then kicked a console. “SKEED! HOW CAN WE BEAT HIM?” she screamed as she started pacing twice as fast as before.
Arkady leaned against a wall, silently pulling on his beard. His snappy comment didn’t come, which surprised her. Vesta stopped and glared at him. He didn’t say a word.
“Nothing?” she finally prompted.
He shook his head and kept pulling on his beard, his mind focused elsewhere.
Vesta huffed, and went back to pacing.
Dohma
The two weeks of hard travel were finally over. They’d made the rendezvous site ahead of the other divisions. Dohma dismounted and stretched. Patting his horse, he took it to where the officers’ horses were going to be corralled. The handlers were all busy, so he grabbed a pair of combs and brushes from one of the supply wagons and set about brushing the animal down. It wasn’t hard work, but it took time. Dohma found it pleasurably relaxing as much as the horse appreciated it.
It had taken almost three weeks to finish all the funeral rites, and as much as that put them behind schedule, Dohma refused any suggestion to speed up the ceremonies. The division then force-marched for fourteen marks a day, every day, for two weeks solid to make up the lost time. No one complained about the journey.
As he worked on the horse, the strong musky animal odor was momentarily masked by wood smoke wafting past. The ashy smell brought the remains of the valley he’d inspected back to his mind. There had been nothing left of the base or surrounding farms. In total, an area almost ten miles wide had vanished into ash instantly, leaving a deep crater. The explosion wiped out the forest for thirty miles in every direction.
I wish I could figure out what happened. I’m sure my group was only a mile from the center of that base when we used their magic gate into the complex. There’s no way even Duke could have run twenty miles in the few minutes we had before being hit by the explosion, and yet Duke and I were right at the blast edge. I just can’t find a reason for this. I hate not knowing what happened. My Daggers and I were diurdin lucky.
Duke still hadn’t awoken, and Dohma was slowly losing hope he ever would. Elades kept insisting he would be fine. Carrying his body with them was having a polarizing effect on the troops. The Daggers weren’t bothered by it, but the regular soldiers murmured about the apparently disrespectful treatment of Duke. Many were suggesting a bit of a mutiny to build him a proper funeral pyre.
The rapid march had kept that from happening. They were going to settle in and rest for a week while the other troops came in, reinforcing the division to full strength. Dohma was worried the mutiny would be forthcoming in a few days.
When he was finished brushing, he handed the horse over to a stable boy. His saddle and gear had already been taken away while he’d been preoccupied. The boy’s hands glistened with the oils used to clean and protect the leather gear.
He headed for the officers’ tents. Finding the location was more difficult than he expected. After roaming about for a full mark, finding no clue where he should go in the sea of thousands of tents put up while he’d been working, he asked directions to his own tent from a Dagger. Another long walk through the pungent oil cloth maze brought him to the core officers’ area. As he walked past Duke’s tent he spotted Elades inside and stepped in to check.
“Lord Dohma,” Elades greeted him cheerfully, his voice clean and clear. “I’m told dinner will be ready shortly. I’m just looking over the fresh reports from the Alliance.”
His feet hurt and the smells of various meals being prepared filled the air, making his stomach rumble for samples. There were some comfortable seats, so he sat down and put his feet up.
“Hand me some of those, please.”
Elades handed him a stack of papers. The reports showed that all six divisions were nearing full strength, which meant that the Alliance had succeeded in mustering almost five million soldiers. Each of the divisions was making progress. So far, no Nhia-Samri base had stood to their attacks. Some of the bases were abandoned, like the one he’d found a couple of cycles back. Others fought to the last warrior to defend themselves. But considering the size of the divisions, the Nhia-Samri bases had no chance.
Their only real chance of fighting us would be to pull together into a single army and face us on the field. I pray that isn’t where soldiers from the empty bases are going. We’d outnumber them at least 15:1, and yet with their skills and odassi swords, that might not be enough.
A steward came in with some wine. “Sir, would you care for the game birds or de
er meat?”
“BOTH! And get me all the bacon I’m smelling too!” came the deep-voiced reply from behind him.
Elades and Dohma leapt at the unexpected voice.
“Duke?” Dohma yelled as he moved around the body.
Duke’s sides were rising and falling with his breathing.
“I sure as hell ain’t a dancing girl! Where is that meat? I’m hungry!”
Duke’s head, which he’d avoided looking at since initially seeing it crushed was surprisingly normal and was resting on a pile of pillows. As Dohma reached it, Duke’s eyes opened, and Duke looked at him, his brows narrowed. “You look half-dead. What on Yur have you been up to?”
Dohma sat down on the floor in front of Duke. “You’re alive! Really and truly alive.”
Duke lifted his head and winced. “Yeah, mostly. Elades, I know you’re back there. I can smell you and hear you breathing. Didn’t you tell him I’d be okay?”
Elades walked around. “Yes, but he, and a growing majority of soldiers, didn’t really believe it. We’ve had a hard time keeping them from putting you on a funeral pyre.”
Duke put his head back down. “Thanks. I hate getting burnt up almost as much as being crushed. I’ll have to make a speech or something to rally them back to sanity.” Duke looked at Dohma sitting on the floor. “Dohma, get up off the floor. We can’t have anyone seeing you sitting there like that. If you’re going to join me for dinner order up some chairs and a table. Elades, get the officers together. But first, get me that bacon! The smell is making my mouth twitch. And wine, lots of wine.”
Thread Skein (Golden Threads Trilogy Book 3) Page 37