He wiped the drizzle from his face. The humid, hot weather had given way to heavy downpour. The rain and clouds would hide them from the Fallen, but made every movement treacherous. His feet slipped on the slick mud.
“Don’t stop!” Lehmor grunted through clenched teeth, struggling to stop the wet chain from slipping.
“Sorry,” Annoush whispered and shoved a wooden wedge into a narrow slit in the winch. The grating hovered a few inches above the river’s surface.
Lehmor wiped his brow and whistled softly. Soft splashes followed the quiet patter of feet, as the First who had stayed behind entered the river, one after another.
Annoush handed Moirah a willow basket. She placed her baby inside and pulled a cloth over her face to protect her from the rain, murmuring soothing words. Tie approached them, sloshing through the mud. The priestess had asked to be the last one to leave. She now stood behind them, Sam on her side.
“Come!” Annoush whispered.
Tie nodded and shivered as she entered the rushing water. She held on to Sam’s arm, the silent guard taking small steps with her. Annoush rushed to her side to take her other arm and they entered the water.
He thanked his lucky star that it was mid-summer. The river swelled in the winter, but in July the water barely reached their chest. The normally strong current was now caressing their bodies gently.
A First overtook them, gliding forward in a smooth, noiseless movement. Rivka. “Any Fallen?” Annoush whispered.
She brought a finger to her lips and pointed to a rock on the bank, a few yards from them. Annoush squinted to see better through the raindrops. A bolt of lightning bathed the woods in light and he realized they were passing a sleeping Fallen. His breath caught when the thunder crashed a few seconds later. He fought the sudden urge to rush forward, barely managing to continue their soundless flight. As soon as they were far enough from the slumbering beast, he let out a breath he had not realized he had been holding.
He felt more than heard a commotion a little distance from them, followed by shushes that rose in urgency and volume. Then, the baby let out a single loud cry, breaking the silence. Annoush froze in place. The crying stopped for a moment, but he dared not move. When the baby let out a second bellow, he pulled Tie back towards the portcullis, drawing his blade.
“Back! We have to go back!”
No longer caring about keeping silent, he splashed in the water in his hurry to return Tie to safety. Glowing green spots penetrated the rain and darkness, then a shadow the size of a small horse lunged at them. He flung himself at the beast, pushing Tie behind him with a violent shove. His foot caught on a root and he splashed into the river. The current spun him around, disoriented him. He jumped back up. Blinded by water, he waved his blade. A shadow swished by and rammed his left shoulder. Burning pain seared through his body. He screamed and thrust his blade, scratching something hard. Sharp teeth snapped around his wrist. They tore the flesh out with a vicious jerk.
Annoush cried out in agony. He staggered backwards, then a flash blinded him briefly as it rushed by, inches from his head. The current pushed him into the river. Panic engulfed him as he swallowed cold water. He coughed to clear his lungs. Every cough sent spasms of pain to run through his body. I’m drowning! A hand grabbed him, and he whirled around to free himself.
“Easy!” He recognized Tie’s voice. Exhausted, he let her carry his weight.
Lightning flashed again, illuminating the Fallen that had attacked him. Blood dripped from its jaws. My blood! Its eyes followed Annoush. His heart thumped against his rib cage, fighting the cold water in his lungs for space in his chest. Lehmor waved his weapon to attract the beast’s attention. It raised its ugly head and roared, then lunged at him. Lehmor stepped backwards and onto the slippery bank, allowing Tie and Sam to pull Annoush beyond the portcullis and back into Malekshei.
As they dragged him onto the courtyard, the last thing he saw was Lehmor’s bright blade plunging into the Fallen’s eye. The creature’s enraged howl filled the air as Annoush finally allowed his eyes to close.
Anthea
Gella
Thump. Gella blinked, trying to recognise the unfamiliar surroundings. The room was still dark. The sun must have barely broken above the sea. Upon arriving at Anthea, she had requested an audience with Sol. Instead, she had been kept a virtual prisoner at the Town Hall. At least the respite had given her a chance to rest after her long journey.
Thump thump. The impatient knock on her door woke her up fully. She swivelled off the bed and pried the door open. Two gruff guards met her gaze.
“Sol will see you now,” the one on the right said.
She stifled a yawn. Themis, I’m getting older. “Isn’t it a bit early?”
The man glared at her. “Is it?” he said and slammed the door behind him.
Gella arched an eyebrow, then spun around to prepare for the meeting. A moment later she shot through the door, startling the guards. “Let’s go,” she said.
They led her through a long corridor into a spacious hall, adorned with slender marble columns. The early morning sun pierced a series of tall windows. It splashed against mosaic owls and olive leaves embedded on the polished wooden floor. The smell of wood filled the air, lending the scene a sense of warmth.
Her gaze trailed the floor decorations to the far end of the long room, to the two silhouettes at its edge. Twin banners hung on the plain wall behind them, one with a painted owl and one depicting an olive branch, each olive the size of a man’s head. They reached all the way to the pale wooden beams that supported the slanted ceiling. Gella fixed her eyes to a regal woman that could only be Sol. She pushed through the guards to march forward, but froze in her tracks when she recognized the man slumping on a short chair next to Sol. A wide grin appeared on her face. “David!”
David rose on tired legs and walked down the few steps that separated them. She opened her arms and squeezed him against her body for a moment, then pushed him and held him by the shoulders to examine him. He looked gaunt and exhausted, and had lost weight. Dark circles swelled under his puffy eyes, betraying sleeplessness. No, she corrected herself. She studied his eyes, recognising the effects of illness. Still, probably nothing a few nights’ sleep could not cure.
Relieved, she embraced him again. This time, he pushed her away after a moment. “What are you doing here?” he asked. “I thought you were heading to Malekshei.”
“I tried, but all the roads were closed. They say…” She paused, uncertain of how to phrase the next words. “They say Malekshei has fallen,” she blurted out in the end, the words devoid of emotion, like a soldier giving a report.
What little blood was on his face faded away. He stumbled backwards as Sol cleared her throat to remind them of her presence. Gella bowed her head in respect and waited to be addressed.
“Come, sit,” Sol said, pointing to the chairs next to her.
Gella’s brow creased. In the years spent in the Capital she had almost forgotten the lack of etiquette in the Democracies. She found it refreshing, yet a pang of pain pierced her heart at the memory of Scorpio, her birthplace. A place she had been forced to flee half a lifetime ago. “Thank you…” She paused, searching for the correct way to address one of the most powerful people in the West.
“Sol,” she said and directed Gella to her seat.
“Sol,” Gella repeated, studying her. Premature silver lined her gold-spun hair, and thin worry lines crossed a pretty face. It was the eyes that caught her attention, though; lively, but with a dark shadow behind them betraying a wound that had never healed.
Sol was studying her back, and Gella wondered what she might see. A warrior? A traitor? Parad’s mistress? Dark thoughts and memories rushed unbidden into her head, like snow melting into fast-running water. She fidgeted on the wooden seat. Did she have to hold her tongue until spoken to?
“Speak freely,” Sol said, as if reading her mind. “You have news of Malekshei?”
“After I left
David—”
“That was last April,” he interrupted her as he shuffled back into his seat.
“Yes,” Gella agreed. “Late April. He was to leave for here, but I had decided to go to Malekshei. To fight…” She threw a questioning glance at David.
A smile played on his lips. “Like Sol said: speak freely.”
“So she knows…” Gella whispered in disbelief.
“About the Fallen and the First? Or the Orbs and the Iota?” An amused flicker of a smile played on Sol’s lips. It withered away almost immediately. “Yes, I’ve learned more in these past days than I expected to find out in a lifetime.”
“I understand,” Gella said with genuine sympathy. “Did he use…”
“The crystal?” Sol nodded. “He did. I’m still not sure if I’d have believed him otherwise.”
Gella shuddered, remembering her own experience with the crystal. “So you know about the clones?”
Sol and David exchanged the briefest of glances. “What?” Gella asked.
David cleared his throat. “There was one in my room.”
Gella’s hand shot to her empty belt, forgetting no weapons were allowed in Sol’s presence. “Now headless,” Sol hastened to add.
Gella’s fingers caressed the leather scabbard, tracing the etched decorations. “What happened?”
A shadow passed before Sol’s eyes. “He killed four of my guards before David got him.”
“When?” Gella asked.
“Last night,” Sol said.
Gella cast an appreciative look at David, who blushed under the attention. “I got lucky,” he mumbled and squirmed on his seat.
“That’s why we meet so early,” Sol continued. “We don’t have a moment to waste.”
“And yet, you had me wait for a week,” Gella blurted out. She regretted the bitterness in her voice, but the thought of losing David gnawed at her gut.
“Bureaucracy has its own mind,” Sol said with a sigh. “At first no one believed that the Butcher of Ephia would dare come to Anthea, let alone seek an audience with me.”
If Sol had slapped her, Gella would not have been more shocked. Her mouth twitched involuntarily. “Is… That’s what …?”
“What they call you?” Sol seemed genuinely surprised. “Yes. Didn’t you know?”
Gella exchanged an appalled glance with David. “That was Altman,” he said. “Gella tried to stop him.”
“Satori says you led the siege.” Sol’s calm voice upset Gella even more than if she had yelled.
“Satori…” Gella remembered the young woman well. She had not laid eyes on her since Teo had captured her at Ephia. “She’s safe?”
Sol’s eyes twinkled. “She’s here. Would you like to meet her? I’m sure she’d love to meet you.”
A shiver traversed Gella’s back at the implicit threat. Had she made a terrible mistake coming to Anthea? “I know what she thinks. Cyrus relieved me of my command for refusing to use Altman’s monstrosity.” Frustration turned to anger. She had done everything she could to stop the energy canon. It was Altman who had used it to level Ephia, not her! “Altman’s hunting me down because I tried to stop him. Does that count for nothing?”
She clasped her arms. The Butcher of Ephia; the words burned in her mind and churned her stomach. First a traitor in Scorpio, then in the Capital. Now, Anthea called her that. She fought a sudden urge to scream.
David stepped down the steps to stand beside her.
“Sol, Gella has saved my life. I can vouch for her. She did all that and more. If anyone’s responsible for Ephia, it’s Altman. You should apologize to Gella.”
Gella gaped at him, as Sol’s eyebrows flew up. “Apologize?”
“No need,” Gella started, but David cut her off.
“She’s only here because of me,” he insisted. “She’s innocent in all this.”
“No,” Gella said with a sigh. “Not innocent. But I did try to stop Altman.”
Sol stared at her for a long time. “I know,” she finally said. “Satori said you tried for a peaceful solution, before that maniac sabotaged your efforts.”
Gella’s brow knitted in confusion. She knew all along? “Then why…”
“I needed to hear it from you.” Sol’s inquisitive eyes flinched for a second under Gella’s furious gaze. “Don’t worry, we know who’s the real Butcher of Ephia. But you were there. Not everyone appreciates the difference between you two.”
Gella remembered her guards’ glare. “I’ve noticed.” She wished the two men had not fallen behind to guard the closed door, but had heard Sol’s admission.
“Hopefully you’ll have your chance to make it right.” Sol refused to say more, waving away Gella’s questioning look.
“So, about Malekshei?” David asked impatiently, returning to his seat. He seemed unable to stand for long, Gella noticed. As soon as he sat down, he leaned forward, his eyes boring two holes in her face.
She tried to gather her thoughts, too shaken to speak for a moment. “As I was saying, after I left you I travelled northeast. That’s when I met the first wave of First from the tribes you had mentioned – Wind Warriors and the Fire Clan. They said they had fled Malekshei, because of a terrible danger, but would not offer me any further explanation. The urged me to turn back.”
“But you didn’t listen,” David half-asked, half-stated.
She smiled at his words. “No, I didn’t. I continued until I came upon a camp.” She closed her eyes, bringing back memories she had tried to forget. “That’s when I saw the first bodies.”
“Bodies?” David’s knuckles turned white on his armrest.
“Women and children mostly. A few men every now and then.”
“First?” he asked, the word coming out a whisper.
Gella shook her head. “Humans. I mean, Newcomers,” she corrected herself. “Settlers from the Capital looking for a better life.”
“And finding death instead,” Sol said. “Not unusual in the North.”
“No,” Gella agreed. “Their wounds, however, were. No weapons could make such wounds. Whatever attacked them could slice a horse in half with their claws.”
“Fallen,” David said.
“Yes. But there was more. The carts had been blown to bits. Energy blasts.”
“Clones,” Sol said.
Gella nodded. “Yes. I only found one survivor, but she died shortly afterwards.”
“What did she say?” Sol asked, her voice soft.
“They had set up camp, ignoring the First’s warnings as superstition. The Fallen fell on them at night, killing everyone. The settlers’ swords were useless.” David squirmed on his chair. Is he feeling guilty for leaving Malekshei? “She said the demons, as she called them, had energy weapons,” Gella continued.
“This is all my fault,” David said, head bowed.
“Nothing you could have done would have prevented it,” Sol assured him. She motioned a guard over, and he produced a smooth cylinder, which Sol handed to Gella. “We found this on the man who attacked David last night.”
“Why didn’t the clone use it?” Gella asked, examining the unusual weapon. It looked like a simple baton. Her fingers traced the black metallic surface, looking for a trigger.
“A knife is just as deadly in their hands, and far less noisy,” Sol explained. “If David hadn’t surprised him…” Her voice trailed off.
Gella handed the weapon back to Sol. “Keep it,” Sol said. “You’ll need it more than me.”
“I’ll show you how to use it,” David added. “Lehmor showed me.”
Gella gasped at the unexpected gift. “Thank you!” she said. A fine weapon for a Butcher, a voice whispered in her head, and her grin turned bitter.
“Consider it an advance payment for your services,” Sol said.
Gella’s brow furrowed. “My services?”
“You have led the Capital’s armies for years. You know how they think, how they fight. I could use your help training my men.”
&nb
sp; So that’s what she wants from me. “Against Altman. You think you’re next, now that Jonia’s fallen.”
“I know it. Our spies confirm it, too.” Sol steepled her fingers to gaze at Gella. “They’re preparing their armies as we speak. Did you have any other plans?”
Gella shook her head. “We won’t be safe anywhere in the East, but I hadn’t given it much thought. I only came to Anthea to find David.”
“And since David would be meeting me, you asked to see me.”
“Yes.”
Sol faced David. “How about you, what will you do next?”
“Gella, are we sure that Malekshei has fallen?” he said. “You only saw some bodies.”
Gella raised her shoulders. “I only know what that camp survivor told me. The Fallen had come from the east.” He wriggled his fingers, his face betraying his agony. “They may have escaped,” she said, taking a step to place her hand on his. “When I realised the danger was real, I didn’t waste time looking for them, I came to Anthea. David wanted to raise an army, so I came to help.”
“We have our own war to worry about,” Sol said and pursed her lips.
“Altman won’t be ready till next year,” Gella protested. “This means you have until spring to prepare. In the meantime, the Fallen may have killed us all.”
Sol’s face turned into stone. “Do you know how many there are?”
“Fallen?” Gella asked. “No, but—”
“The way I look at it, there are two possibilities.” Sol lifted one finger in the air. “One, the Fallen are a great army, in which case they take over the entire planet, starting from the east.” A second finger followed. “Two, their numbers are smaller than you think, in which case they claim back their forests and stop there.”
She stood up to pace back and forth, her hands tied at her back. “In the first case, we get rid of our immediate danger: an enemy who will invade in a few months. The fighting between Iotas and Capital will weaken them both. If the Capital wins, there is no invasion by the Fallen, and the Capital won’t be in a state to attack for years. If the Iotas win, they will be a much less formidable enemy. We can attack before they have a chance to regroup.”
Pearseus Bundle: The Complete Pearseus Sci-fi/Fantasy Series Page 59