by Kyle West
There were several watchtowers attached, rising along the next two sets of walls, all of which were dark. I remembered the Dragonlord mentioning beacons – so long as those towers remained dark, we were still safe. Surely, though, there was someone in each of them, watching for any sign of attack. It might have even been possible for the nearest ones to see us, had they really looked for us. With luck, they were too busy looking the other direction.
With the ladder lowered, we began to climb down, with Sarien first. I waited until it was my turn, after Pashte and Nael. Halfway down the ladder, I was just beginning to think there might not be any watchers at all, when a gong sounded, followed swiftly by several arrows hitting the wall just a few feet to my side.
“Now!” Valan called.
Everyone started sliding down the ladder. The wood scraped against my hands, highly painful, but a little pain was better than dying.
I hit the dirt hard, and still arrows were flying. However, Valan and Pashte were already firing back, at a speed and accuracy which were shocking to see. Even as the rest of us grabbed the ladder to advance across the dirt, a few screams from ramparts of the second wall let me know that some of the Dragonguard’s arrows had found their marks. What archers were left fled to the safety of the tower, allowing us to run forward with the ladder. It was so much heavier with just four of us carrying it, but we needed Valan and Pashte to provide the cover fire. One of the enemy archers came back out to fire again, but two arrows from our side changed his mind quickly, and he ducked back in.
We pushed the ladder, hard, to get it into position, and as soon as it was, Sarien scrambled up much faster than it seemed a man of his size should go. I knew he was trying to reach the top before the rest got any ideas of pushing the ladder back. Nael followed soon after, then Isaru, then me, while Valan and Pashte continued to provide cover.
Sarien reached the top, and with a bellow, charged into the tower. Men screamed as he unleashed his terror, and he was soon followed by the rest of us. By the time I reached the top, it seemed the battle inside the tower, in a few short seconds, was already over. The only thing I got to witness was the sickening crunch of Sarien’s mace slamming into a hapless defender. The defender had dropped his torch just inches from the woodpile. Its pungent odor told me it had been soaked with pitch.
Nael kicked it away, where it would be no danger. Even if the fire here had been stopped, they would surely be lighting them in other towers.
“Take cover!” Pashte shouted.
I hid against the wall and out of the doorway, just in time for several arrows fly in and stick to the woodpile. We had to get rid of the men who shot them, because the ladder was still out there and we still had another wall to climb over. Worse, if they pushed the ladder back, we’d have no way of making it over the last wall.
“Elec, Alara…” Valan ordered. “Go!”
So, this was what we were here for: to lead the charge and operate as a human shield.
“Let’s go,” I said to Isaru.
I wasn’t an idiot, though. I sidled the doorway, and took a quick look. Three Suns were standing about thirty paces away, bows drawn and ready. One of them let loose, and I pulled my head back.
“Three bowmen,” I said. “Should be simple enough.”
I gestured to Sarien, who had a bloodied shield. “I’ll need that.”
To my surprise, Sarien passed it to me without resistance. I tried to avoid the bloody bits on it, instead putting my arm through the straps. It was much heavier than I had expected, but I could handle it.
I looked at Isaru. “Ready?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
“Find Silence. Trust your training.”
Isaru nodded. We each took a moment to calm ourselves, until nothing was left besides all the forms and all the sequences we had learned.
Tree might have seemed an obvious choice. It had the most shield variations, but admittedly, I wasn’t too experienced with shield combat. Avoiding ranged attacks was a specialty of Windform, given its flexibility. I might not even need the shield, but it was still nice to have it as insurance.
“Enter Wind,” I said.
Isaru nodded his agreement. He didn’t have the advantage of Anna’s memories and training, but he did have years of his own training, having practiced since boyhood in the court of Haven.
I rarely acknowledged Anna’s existence, at least consciously, because acknowledging the fact that another person’s mind existed inside your own was not a comfortable thought, even when it was true.
However, now I was hoping that Anna would come to the fore, because I needed her help more than ever.
As prepared as I would ever be, I raised the iron shield and stepped into the doorway, where immediately, three arrows flew. To my astonishment, there were even more men waiting behind the archers in formation, bearing swords, shield, and mail. There might have been a dozen of them… Perhaps even more.
I ran forward, and all three arrows got stuck into Sarien's shield. Isaru was right at my side, and as more arrows came, he easily dodged, as if anticipating their flight path. He was in Battletrance, too; there was no other way he could react that quickly. But the more Battletrance was used, the more one’s energy was consumed…especially when outside the Red Wild, where the Xenofold was weaker. We had to win this as quickly as possible.
The archers’ eyes widened as they saw we were close, and they fell back, only to be replaced by a rank of warriors with grizzled, battle-hardened faces. If they were surprised at Isaru’s or my youth, they gave no sign of it. Some had swords and shields, while one held a bastard sword, as others still bore maces and metal clubs, which seemed to be the most common. Only one had a spear, which was paired with a buckler. I noted all these things in the space of a second, and more, such as the fact that the three men directly in front of us were now forming a line and advancing. Behind them all, the next tower was bright with a recently lit fire, even as more men poured out of the tower. This section hadn’t been left as defenseless as Lord Avon had hoped.
“For Mithras!” shouted the lead warrior, charging forward with abandon. His attack gave the others courage, and there were so many that Isaru and I were forced to step back, Battletrance or no. I cast my shield aside, as it would only be a hindrance and it had already served its purpose. Without it, I had more freedom to move and take advantage of Wind’s flexibility.
I easily dodged the first man’s attack, stabbing quickly at his exposed neck and hopping back as two more swords swung at empty air. As the first man collapsed, Isaru dodged several blows, before swiping at one of his attacker’s legs. The press of men behind him, added to the injury of his leg, caused him to fall over the edge of the rampart. He shrieked as he dropped to the ground.
And the bloody melee continued. Arrows flew past my head, not from the Suns, but from Valan and Pashte behind us, who were lending their aid. If we could just hold back the tide and let the expert marksmen do their work…
Isaru seemed to be of a similar mind, and even with Battletrance, it was all we could do to keep everyone at bay. Every time one was felled with an arrow, another still replaced him, stepping over the dead bodies to continue the assault. Despite seeing five of their number fall in just the space of a moment, they were undeterred. One of the men in the back, taller and stronger than the rest, had a fierce light shining in his eyes that unnerved me.
Aether, I thought. Apparently, some of these Suns were capable of using it. When it came time to fight him, I would need to be extra careful.
The spearman stabbed at me, nearly gutting me entirely. This put me off balance, and I bumped into Isaru, who was forced to take a step back, leaving me exposed. A Sun immediately entered the space Isaru had vacated, meaning I was surrounded on two sides.
I dodged a quick cut of the newcomer, stabbing him quickly, and ducked by sheer instinct – just as an arrow flew over my head from behind to take care of the spearman.
And then, joining us in the mi
ddle, was Sarien and his bloody mace, dripping with blood. He was heaving and his eyes were frenzied; he hadn’t been sitting back from the battle, as I had previously thought, but instead had been defending an assault on the other side of the tower. That was where Nael must have been, since he was absent here.
With the three of us, we finally held the tide. A wall of dead was beginning to form, but still, they didn’t cease attacking, urged on by the glowing-eyed man, whom the Suns seemed to fear more than even us.
Trust yourself, a voice said in my mind. Focus on the task at hand.
My trance deepened, and I gave a primal scream that seemed to come from outside myself. I broke from the line and began a flurry of strikes. Still in Wind, I was able to anticipate every attack against me long before it ever happened. The forms these men used were familiar to me – almost a parody of Seeker forms, and all of them seemed to be using some variation of Flameform. They had received some form of training from one who did know forms.
However, having recognized what it was, I knew exactly how to fight against it. I knew when to strike and when to dodge, and my mind was completely separated from butchery. Moving was merely action; I wasn't killing, only moving the blade in certain motions that allowed me to breathe just one more time. All of my movements seemed preordained, and one after the other, the Suns fell.
Until I was standing before the glowing-eyed man. Bearing a katana and a cruel smile, he stepped forward and engaged. While his attack was furious, it wasn’t something I had to face alone. Sarien and Isaru soon joined me, and while the glowing-eyed man focused on me, he couldn’t long keep up his aggression. Soon, his blade was battered aside, falling to the ground below. He closed his eyes, having recognized his defeat. Sarien did the honors, clobbering him hard in the gut, causing him to stagger and fall from the ramparts.
And with that action, the rest of the defenders broke, as Valan and Pashte continued to fire arrow after arrow, slaughtering them even as they fled.
Only then did I break from the Battletrance, feeling completely void of energy. I kept myself standing, though, not allowing myself to be shocked by the scene of slaughter before me. Bodies upon bodies upon bodies. Blood everywhere, running off the sides of ramparts in veritable bloodfalls. I was covered in blood from head to toe. My blade was slick with it and wet, and I was breathing so hard that it felt as if my lungs would burst.
There were at least several dead men lying before the entrance of the tower, and the fight had only lasted five minutes.
Valan and Sarien were already hauling up the ladder from the other side while Isaru and Pashte lent a hand. I cleaned my blade, such as I could, before sheathing it. I focused on helping with the ladder; I couldn’t let myself think about all the lives I had ended.
“Keep your head clear,” Nael said, as a reminder. “They were out to kill you, just as you were out to kill them.”
Despite those words, my heart still felt heavy. “I know.”
“A warrior’s actions,” Sarien said, “but a slave’s heart.”
I didn’t have the energy to respond; he was welcome to think whatever he wanted. By now, the ladder had been lowered to the other side. Archers were still taking shots from the final wall, but there were much fewer here. Pashte and Valan were continuing their work.
“It’s ready,” Sarien said. Despite Sarien’s earlier comment, he was looking at me with respect. He had fully expected me to die. Perhaps Isaru and I had been recruited to take the risks in situations like this.
But I had no plans of dying, or of letting Isaru die.
We hurried down the ladder, and after that, it was just a short jaunt to the final wall with minimal resistance, thanks to Valan and Pashte’s deadly aim.
The ladder was raised for a final time, and we began to climb.
The resistance on the third and final wall was little. There were only two kills before the rest threw their weapons in surrender. We quickly disposed of the weapons over the ramparts, in the space between second and first walls, using the stairway in the tower and leaving the ladder behind, as going down the stairs was quicker and easier.
We exited the tower to find ourselves in the bare courtyard, which was empty save for a few panicked men running toward the other side, where the main fight was. If they saw us, they gave no sign that they perceived us as a threat. We couldn't test that for long, though. I was glad we hadn't killed the defenders on the wall above, but they could easily warn any passing Suns that we were a threat.
Closer now to the Sphere, a subtle hum could be heard reverberating in the air, and cutting through that sound was the roar of the invading army on the Sphere’s opposite side. Every beacon on that side was lit, while most on our side were lit as well.
We ran forward, coming at last to the Sphere’s entrance. The giant construction rose above, dwarfing everything around it. Its light up close was bright, but not overbearingly so. A small stairway led into its side, where a tunnel could be seen leading deeper within.
Even as Isaru and I started forward, the others hesitated. By the time we reached the stairs, we turned around to see what was going on.
“Are you guys coming, or are you just going to stand there?”
Even Sarien seemed a bit spooked looking at the Sphere. I had, until this point, never seen him scared of anything. If there was one thing I had learned so far, people acted strangely when religion was involved. These people’s beliefs said that the Sphere was holy, and only Priests were allowed inside.
I looked at Isaru. “I thought warriors were not supposed to fear death.”
Sarien looked at me indignantly. “We do not fear death, but we do fear the Sphere. As soon as we go in, we will have committed untold blasphemy…”
“We have agreed to do this mission, for the good of the Ruins,” Valan said. “I know this is the hardest part…but we must keep moving.”
He made good on his words, advancing toward the stairs where Isaru and I already stood. Reluctantly, the others followed.
With that settled, we climbed the stairs and entered.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
THE CHANGE IN AMBIANCE FROM battle to the serene quiet of the pink-lit tunnel was bizarre. Our footsteps echoed dully in the confines of the narrow tunnel, which curved slightly up and to the left. We were clearly running along the outside of the Sphere, and looking through the semi-translucent ichorstone on my left, I thought I could make out the smoke and fires of the battle outside. But I couldn't hear a sound.
I wondered if we were wasting our time here, but Lord Avon had said that Mithras was probably here, because he didn't have the same qualms about entering the Sphere as others did. But something unsettled me, and it wasn't the fact that we might be confronting him soon. I was thinking of that Sun who had been under the influence of Aether – where had he gotten it, and were there more like him?
And then, the tunnel made an abrupt turn to the left, going a short way before opening into a cavernous space. This vast space was filled with rows upon rows of plants and crops, each plant bearing a bountiful yield of produce that should have been impossible. The roots clung to thin pipes, made of ichor, pipes which ringed the entire space. The plants were so thick that I couldn’t see far, but looking up I could tell that the plants filled the entirety of the Sphere, with the exception of ichorstone walkways that plunged into the thick, green depths.
No one spoke. I noticed that Valan wasn’t moving. I looked at him, but he seemed to be watching Isaru, who was forging ahead into the unknown. Somehow, someway, the leadership had shifted to him, which wasn’t surprising if Valan was scared witless.
“There is something we Seekers do, to master our emotions,” I said, quietly. “We seek Silence. We clear our minds, until nothing is left…nothing but Silence and calm. It is from this foundation that everything else comes. Movement, Stillness. Resistance…and Acceptance. Anything you can accept…you can endure.”
I couldn’t tell if my words had any effect, because the Dragons said
nothing in response.
“Just focus on your breaths,” I said. “Know that even if there is fear, or any emotion, that it will pass through you. It is a phase, and it is not part of the equation. And when that fear has gone through, only Silence remains.”
I tried to make my own words as calming as possible, but it was hard to tell what effect, if any, I was having.
We followed Isaru and were soon immersed in a tunnel of green. It was hard to tell where the light was coming from, until I realized that it was coming from the pipes connected to the roots of the plants. They were actually quite bright to look at, but by the time the light made it through the greenery, it cast a verdant shade on the walkway below, making it feel similar to walking in a forest. The air was thick with the aroma of vegetation, while fruit growing from trees shading the walkway was ripe for the picking.
“This…was not as I imagined it to be,” Valan said, quietly.
After a bend in the walkway, we stopped dead in our tracks. Ahead of us, kneeling and reaching through some of the plants, was a man in a plain brown robe. He was thin, making his robe seem all the more billowy. The way his skin clung thinly to his sharp jawbone reminded me of a skeleton. His hair was long, as if it had never been cut in his life, and despite the fact that he should have heard us coming by now, he was intently focused on whatever he was doing.
I was the first one to speak. “Hello. Are you a priest here?”
At the sound of my voice, he recoiled, as if struck, but did not break his attention from the plants. If anything, he redoubled his efforts, reaching even deeper within.
“The priests are not like normal men,” Valan explained quietly. “They are taken from their families at a young age, when it is determined that they have the talent. It is the only reason any priest leaves the Sphere…to find others of their like. And it is said they are not allowed to speak to any, save those with the gift.”