by Andrew Rowe
“This is a very unusual test,” Vanniv noted.
With our group gathered, Orden turned to Sera. “You may want to dismiss your friend.”
Sera folded her arms. “Why? What’s happening?”
Orden folded her hands in front of her. “The city is under attack.”
Chapter XVII — Assault
Sera was, as usual, the quickest. “By who?”
Orden glanced toward Sera. “Monsters from the tower. I don’t know numbers yet.”
“Oh, goddess.” Patrick took a step back, hugging himself. “Is anyone hurt?”
The professor turned toward Patrick. “It’s an attack on the city; of course people are being hurt. Pull yourself together, Mister Wayland. You’re supposed to be an attuned. Act like one. Panicking will not save any lives.”
Patrick nodded, but he was still shaking. “Yes...of course, professor.”
I walked over and nudged him on the shoulder. My hands were trembling, too, but being next to each other seemed to help us both.
Sera folded her arms. “What type of threats are we looking at?”
“A broad variety of monsters, including a swarm of karvensi.” Orden turned her head toward Vanniv, narrowing her eyes.
Vanniv put a hand over his chest. “I don’t know what you’re implying, madam professor, but I have a strict ‘no attacking cities’ policy.”
“As humorous as that might be, your true self could be up there, and we can’t have you carrying information back to him.”
The stone figure stretched his wings. “Fine, fine. I understand. But Sera, we still have a deal.”
She nodded. “We do. And if you are willing to help against other karvensi, I may have a need for you again soon.”
“That would be no problem. It would be no worse than humans killing other humans, after all.”
His nonchalance at that particular idea chilled me more than I could put into words.
Sera waved a hand at Vanniv. “Very well, then. Karvensi — or, rather, Vanniv — I dismiss you.”
A glowing circle of runes appeared around Vanniv and he bowed at the waist as he vanished.
Orden turned back to the group. “Good. With that threat addressed, you should all head to the shelters immediately.”
Ugh. I did not want to go to those again, especially not after how useless they felt last time.
Marissa spoke up before I had a chance. “Beggin’ your pardon, Professor, but I’d rather be fightin’ then buried in one of those tombs.”
A little more direct than I’d have put it, but it echoed my fears about the stability of the shelters pretty well.
Patrick turned his head toward Marissa. “Uh, Mara, are you sure that’s a good idea? I know you’re stronger than the rest of us, but...”
Marissa raised a hand to scratch the back of her head. “S’not that, Patrick. I’d just rather get stabbed than crushed to death. ‘sides, better to have Orden next to us than try to run on our own, yeah?”
Patrick paled a little.
Orden chuckled. “You seem to have a misconception, Marissa. I’m not going to be going anywhere near that fight. Being a teacher does not make me equipped for battle with monsters, nor would I be in any condition to fight even if I was properly trained for it. Who do you think has been making illusions and constructs for you to fight for the last hour?”
I folded my arms. “If you made that Tyrant punch me in the nose, you owe me a clean uniform.”
The professor turned to me, grimacing upon taking in my face. “I...may have calibrated that construct a bit too strong. It was necessary to give him a degree of solidity to — never mind. It’s not important. I’m afraid I’ve already sent the Menders away to the shelter, but I could teleport you to one?”
I shook my head. “No. This is irritating,” I could hear a wheeze in my voice, “But I’m with the Marissa. I want to fight.”
Patrick turned and stared at me for a moment, then tightened his jaw.
The door to the room swung open, and Professor Teft was standing in the doorway. “Lyras, I need you now.”
Orden swung a glance in his direction, sighing. “If you insist, dear.”
Dear?
Professor Orden turned back to us. She opened her mouth to say something, then closed it, furrowing her brow. “Hrm.”
Teft folded his arms. “I don’t like that expression.”
“Oh, hush, Jonathan. The adults are thinking.”
Teft glowered at her. “Commander Bennet is waiting for us.”
Orden’s lips twitched into a harsh curve. “Let Jack wait. I need to properly direct the children.” She snapped her fingers. “Corin. When the monsters were scouting last time they were here, did any of them see you?”
I nodded. “At least one of them looked right at me.”
“Good. Then you’re not the target, which narrows the options somewhat. Jonathan, has anyone determined who is commanding the monsters yet?”
“Yes, but I’m really not sure we should be discussing this—”
“Humor me.”
He folded his arms. “Word is that Katashi has been sighted just outside the tower. He’s not attacking — thank the goddess — but if he’s present, it’s safe to assume he’s controlling the creatures that are.”
I admit I might have taken a step back when I heard the name “Katashi”. I hoped no one noticed.
Jin was looking at me strangely, though, so I’m pretty sure he saw something.
Orden steepled her fingers. “Perfect. I’m going to send you and Corin to talk to him.”
Teft blinked. “...excuse me?”
I almost laughed. I’d never seen someone manage to catch Teft off guard like that before. He actually stammered.
Orden took a step toward me, releasing a hand to gesture for me to approach. “Come now, Corin. Time to address some past mistakes.”
I sighed. “Will you be coming along with us?”
“Of course not. As I said, I’m not much of a fighter, and it’ll be dangerous out there. I’ll be going to talk to the vice chancellor, where undoubtedly he’ll make efficient use of my abilities by having me wrangle more children into our lovely shelters.”
I folded my arms. “Not exactly a fighter myself, Professor.”
“Oh, you have a sword, you’ll be fine. Besides, you’re going to go talk. Fighting shouldn’t be necessary.”
I refrained from pointing out the contradictions in her argument; she was obviously already aware of them. I didn’t know precisely what she was plotting, though. Was this another one of her little tests to see how I’d behave?
I didn’t think so.
Teft shook his head. “What are you about, Lyras? Why would Corin have anything to do with Katashi?”
Orden rolled her eyes. “Corin met Katashi during his Judgment, darling, and walked out with his memories intact. He also managed to break three people out of a prison inside the tower. Do try to keep up.”
Teft shot a glance at me, and I could sense the entire rest of the group turning to look at me. “Is this true?”
Ugh. This was not the right time to be telling people about this.
“That’s a truncated version, but yes. One of my test rooms was a prison, and I opted to let people out of it. Turns out it might not have been strictly a normal part of the test. I’m still not certain what exactly happened.”
Sera tilted her head to the side. “Tristan?”
I shook my head. “It wasn’t him. I would have told you if it was.”
She frowned, but gave me the slightest nod. “We’ll need to talk about this later.”
Orden stepped closer to me. “Right. Later is fine. For the moment, time is of the essence. If Katashi isn’t looking for Corin here, he’s almost certainly looking for one of the people that Corin helped escape. Seeing as Katashi did let Corin leave the tower alive, I don’t believe he’ll be hostile, and if Corin offers to cooperate, we might be able to minimize the damage to the school.”
I didn’t want to argue her point, though, because I did want to go. Both to protect the city and because a chance to talk to Katashi might give me some real answers. I needed those answers.
I wasn’t going to let a little thing like the possibility of annihilation stop me.
Marissa stepped up next to me. “I’m comin’ along, unless you mind. Rather be out there in the open to lend Corin a hand if he gets into trouble.”
“I’m going to send them directly to the tower — but fine, if you insist. Any other children feel the need to keep Corin safe from nothing at all?”
Sera stepped over and nodded to me. “I’m going, of course.”
Patrick’s hands tightened his hands into fists. “Fine. I still think this is insane, but I’m not letting the rest of you go without me.”
A few moments passed.
Jin didn’t join us.
He was still silently watching from the back of the group, his jaw tight, eyes narrowed.
I felt a surge of relief that I wasn’t going to be going out there alone, even with my disappointment that Jin — the first person who had stepped in to rescue me in something resembling a real fight — wasn’t going to help me this time.
I hoped it wouldn’t matter.
Orden glanced at Teft. “Anything else you want to share before I teleport you?”
“For now, the fighting appears to be constrained to the area directly surrounding the tower. The Soaring Wings are doing their best to keep the combat contained to that region, but karvensi and gargoyles are emerging from the top of the tower and flying toward the academy. Katashi was sighted on the eastern side, near one of the Climber Gates.”
I wondered how he’d picked up that much information. The earthquakes had only occurred minutes ago. It was probable that the attacks had started sometime before the earthquake, but he still seemed very well-informed about something that was happening a solid mile away. Did he have some kind of communication spell? If so, I needed to learn it, and as soon as possible. That kind of thing would be invaluable both in our tests and in real threats like this one.
“Eastern gate it is, then. Children, if you’re coming, join hands.” She extended a hand to me, and another to Teft. I took one, and extended another to Patrick.
The linking hands continued until Jin was the only one left outside — and finally, with the utmost hesitation, he stepped in.
I breathed an audible sigh of relief.
We’ll be safe if we’re all together.
And Orden spoke.
“Spirit of wind and air, I command you!
By the pact sealed between us, I invoke your power.
Rise around us and within us;
Carry us upon your ethereal wings to the place of greatest safety.
Veiled Teleport!”
***
My head swam, my vision blurred, and something slammed into my knees.
When I regained my focus, I realized that something was the dirt — I’d lost my balance and fallen right after the teleport. I was blearily aware of people around me, but my hands were no longer linked with anyone.
I wretched, a combination of bile and blood. Fortunately, the others managed to get out of the way before I doused anyone’s shoes.
“Oh, for the goddess’ sake, Lyras. Just how hard did your construct hit him?”
Teft’s voice, probably. I couldn’t really process anything.
“I didn’t think... never mind. Corin, stop vomiting.”
I turned my head in her direction, my best “Are you reshing kidding me” expression on my face.
She sighed, offering me a handkerchief. “Wipe yourself off, then I’ll give you something for the pain.”
I took the cloth, wiping off my face, and then spitting some of the remaining acidic fluid in my mouth into it. With that done, I discarded it onto the ground. She could pick the thing up if she wanted it.
My head felt like it was in a vice, like I’d gone too far underwater and my ears were popping from the pressure.
“We don’t have time for this.” I felt Orden grab my left hand, slipping something onto my pointer finger. “Channel a bit of your mana into that.”
That was easy enough. I sent a pulse of gray into the ring. The ring warmed in response, but not to the point of burning. That warmth spread across my arm, flowing throughout the rest of my body.
“What’s wrong with him?” Sera’s voice.
Teft responded. “Teleporting someone with a head injury is a dangerous prospect at best. Someone should have known better.”
“The ring will take care of him.” Orden again. I couldn’t see her clearly, yet, but the warmth had spread all the way to my neck, and I was starting to feel a tingling sensation on my back.
By the time I felt the warmth spreading across my face, I was starting to feel a little bit better. “Healing magic?” I murmured.
“Regenerative. It’s not as fast as a direct healing spell, but it also doesn’t require the same degree of precision to get it right. Direct healing spells are almost never used in items, since they can end up causing permanent harm. Regeneration, however, is quite safe.”
Ah, Orden. Always lecturing.
“I’m keeping this.” I managed. “In exchange for my best nose.”
I heard a few laughs around me, which was good.
Orden didn’t join in the levity, but she did respond. “Your humor seems intact at least. Good. Not a useful tool with Katashi, but it implies you’re awake enough to talk. With that, I should be going. You can borrow the ring until you’re recovered.”
“I’m sitting down now.”
I sat, only then noticing the ring of concerned eyes around me.
And, much more worryingly, the vast number of winged figures in the naked sky above us.
And by naked, I mean that there was no environmental shield.
None.
I’d never seen the sky without a shield occluding it. It hadn’t been disabled during my lifetime.
Without it, we were vulnerable. Not just to rain and snow, but to a far more terrifying prospect.
Invasion.
Keeping the elements off of us was the practical application of the barrier, but it served a more important function on the international scale. It blocked a vast variety of foreign spells from getting into the city. Scrying, teleportation, artillery spells — it was an effective tool against both reconnaissance and direct attacks.
And it was gone.
I didn’t even know how that was possible. Was it temporary?
My head had already been swimming before the implications of that lack began to dive into the murky pool.
I was so distracted that I didn’t even notice Orden teleport herself out of the area, leaving the rest of us behind.
Patrick offered me a hand, but I shook my head. “Not just yet.”
At least his hand had stopped shaking. Now that we were here, he looked calmer than I felt.
My retainer frowned. “We’re going to need to move soon. We’ve got company on the way.”
I glanced around, taking in my direct surroundings for the first time since the teleport. My friends were standing in a defensive ring around me, facing outward, along with Teft. And Teft. And another Teft.
Simulacra. I really wished I could do that.
Outside of our protective circle? Chaos.
The tower itself loomed above us, a few hundred yards away. Hundreds — maybe thousands — of flying creatures were swarming around the upper levels, flying in a circular pattern.
The nearest buildings had belonged to the Soaring Wings, the loyal guardians that kept us safe from the rare cases of monsters getting out of the tower. Their headquarters had been smashed to bits.
Mizuchi, the Hero’s En
d, rose triumphant above the rubble of the largest structure. Her towering mass was unharmed by the dozens of armored attuned that still stood around her, barraging her with a flurry of attacks. Her serpentine body was even larger than I’d realized when I’d seen her in the skies above. It only took a flick of her tail to demolish a nearby tower.
For every one of the Soaring Wings that still stood, I could see three or four more that didn’t. They were bloodied and broken among the rubble, the latest victims of a beast of legend.
They’re dead. Those soldiers are dead.
I shivered. This is insane! We could be next.
How’d I let Orden talk us into this?
As I watched, she reared up, drawing in a deep breath as members of the Wings scattered apart. I could hear a loud hum as blue sparks spread across her body, a glimmering aura coalescing in her mouth.
A blue dome appeared around us. One of Teft’s bodies was kneeling, maintaining some kind of defensive spell.
Mizuchi exhaled.
A voltaic charge of impossible brightness tore free from her mouth, ripping through stone and dirt and leaving a charred and smoking trail where it passed.
The line of lightning grew in intensity, brighter and brighter, until a burning shockwave flashed across the area and forced my eyes shut. I felt the impact against our shield; heard the cracks spreading across the surface the moment before the barrier completely failed.
When my eyes opened, I saw the two other versions of Teft kneeling along with the first, their eyes closed in concentration. They’d formed two more barriers and only the last of them was still intact.
We’d been hundreds of meters away from the epicenter of that blast, barely even in sight of the people on the ground — and it still probably would have killed us outright if Teft hadn’t intervened.
And all three versions of him were sweating with exhaustion.
“We need to move,” Patrick said again.
I nodded and stood. Teft’s last barrier fell, his two copies vanishing. Their mana had run dry.
Marissa and Jin helped a still-shaken Teft to his feet while Patrick led the way.
It wasn’t hard to see our destination, now that I was looking.
Katashi floated just in front of the tower, his brilliant aura of azure extending so far that I had no difficulty locating him in spite of his physical form being dwarfed by the tower’s size.