Rage of the Diamond's Eye (The Guildsmen Series Book 1)

by Becker, Shawn

  All eyes were on Myst and Tair.

  ***

  Standing upon the garrison gate, Mikhail paced nervously back and forth. The Zynnashan attack force continued to grow in size to nearly sixty-five of the man-beasts. The main bulk of his defenders were now stationed at the sturdy gate, waiting for the impending attack. Mikhail had nearly one hundred men at his disposal, but he also knew that one Zynnashan could rip apart two men in mere seconds. The odds were growing fast against them.

  His men were growing restless as the Zynnashans continued to just stand and watch. Mikhail knew they were waiting for a signal, waiting to launch their attack from a still unseen component of their attack force.

  The captain knew the signal the moment it arced past him. An invisible wave of soundless energy shot through he and his men, past the gate, and beyond to the wolf pack. Mikhail saw the sudden change in the Zynnashans formation; saw their bodies tense as they began sprinting for the garrison gate.

  “The enemy is upon us!” he shouted aloud. He could sense the relief in his men. Although they still carried a measure of gnawing fear in their gut, they were glad to know that at least something was now happening. The clank of armor and rattling weapons swelled around him as Mikhail readied his own sword.

  The sound of a horn far behind him drew Mikhail away from the coming fight. The main gate flagman was waving his signal flags in an agitated state. The wailing horn blasts, however, were coming from the river gate. Ignoring the waving flagman, Mikhail quickly sheathed his sword and concentrated his spyglass on the southern gate. The men stationed on the wall were gesturing wildly at the lake as the man at the horn continued to send a series of warnings. Adjusting his spyglass carefully, Mikhail saw what they saw.

  The bizarre signal they had felt had apparently been given to the strange vessel, for it now rose higher from the water and was churning at an impossible speed toward the gate. The frothing waves had no effect on its course as it glided through the water like molten metal through snow.

  The captain watched in satisfaction as his men stationed at the ancient catapult launched the massive stone that had been readied earlier. Mikhail kept his eye on the boulder, impressed by the aim of his soldiers as it spun relentlessly toward the black ship. The stone struck true and instantly smashed into dusty pieces that careened off of the sun-glinted metal deck.

  Not only was the vessel unaffected, it didn’t even slow its pace.

  With dawning horror, Mikhail suddenly saw the ruse. The wolf pack was a distraction. The vessel was going to smash through the gates, allowing the Zynnashans to breach Fhaalvak’s walls and attack the town within, precisely where he had ordered the town’s citizenry to take refuge.

  31

  Myst stood dumbfounded, unable to focus as the large raw diamond in her hands hummed and throbbed, sending out waves of energy unseen, yet felt by everyone. Tair had a hold of her by the shoulder, pulling her back slowly toward the exiting corridor on their side of the warehouse. Myst slowly lifted her head and saw that the Magi, the Guildsmen, and the paladins had stopped fighting and were looking at her in the same confused manner.

  The leader of the paladins broke the silence. “You desecrate the Eye of Diathanos with your vile touch!!”

  Tienn, who had seconds earlier been grappling with a cleric of Diathanos shouted to her, “Run, Mystrianna! Get it out of the city!”

  “No!” shouted a purple robed Magi. “Give it to me! We will stop the Zynnashans from harming anyone!”

  Myst felt Tair pull her backward; she felt the living essence of the diamond; she sensed the rage and desperation of the group before her.

  And then the world exploded in a rending screech of stone, dust, and wood.

  ***

  At Fhaalvak’s main gate, Kreena stood with Lieutenant Gartis, both of them watching in mute dismay as the Zynnashan vessel rocketed toward the southern gate. She could see the knights stationed there vainly trying to warn the gathered citizens to flee. Slowly, too slowly, the crown began to move away from the river market that stood behind the gate. The black iron ship reached the river docks, cutting through the moored boats as if they were made of paper. The gate exploded inward, sending wood, stone, and water flying everywhere into the market – into the people. The boat chewed its way through the gate like an unleashed beast, crushing everything in its path. The ship destroyed the wooden foundations that held the southern end of the town above the water, ripping up parts of buildings and sometimes whole structures and dumping them into the roiling waters of Lake Th’baerne.

  The ship crashed into the warehouse district and ground itself to a halt. The vessel looked undamaged, its bow slightly bent inward from the impact with the gate. It listed slightly to the right and then remained still. Kreena could hear the screams of hundreds coming from the ruins of the river market.

  “We need to get to that vessel quickly!” Kreena shouted to the lieutenant.

  “I have no orders to do so,” the officer snapped back.

  Kreena shook her head. Gartis was one of those knights that could never think beyond his station. She knew from the red-headed stranger’s report earlier this day that the Zynnashans would soon emerge from the ship and burn everything nearby. She told this to Gartis, stressing that they had to intercept the threat.

  “You have no authority to take any of my men,” he told her. “I must protect the main gate in case they should attack here.”

  “They’re not going to attack here, you idiot!” she shouted. “They are already within the city!”

  Gartis turned away and pretended to inspect the land before him.

  Cursing under her breath, Kreena ran down the wooden steps of the balustrade and into the group of twenty foot soldiers gathered nearby. “Anyone who would protect this city and its people from further harm, follow me now into battle! The walls are breached at the southern market!”

  Kreena did not wait to see if anyone followed her. She ran on, hoping she could do some good before Fhaalvak burned.

  ***

  Cassius lay on his back, his arms pinned in front of him by a heavy object. Dust stung his eyes and he felt a lancing pain in his left arm. He knew he had to get up; he had to move before D’ghelle took advantage of his position. He tried moving his arms, ignoring the pain that flared up to his shoulder, and felt the weight shift. Cassius blinked the dust away, beginning to panic over the fact that Anton’s sword could take his head at any moment.

  Clearing his vision, Cassius saw that Anton would not be a problem for anyone any longer. His dead, staring eyes held the former knight in a lightless gaze.

  Whatever force had crashed through the walls of the warehouse pushed D’ghelle into the ensorcelled blade Sajiix had created for him. Light cancels shadow; shadow cancels light - The amethyst energy cut through the paladin’s armor as though it were butter, pushing the sword into D’ghelle all the way up to the jagged edge of the original steel. The arcane energy had dispersed, leaving only the remnants of the sword and an ever expanding pool of Anton’s blood that was now beginning to stain Cassius’s own clothing.

  With a final heave, Cassius was able to roll Anton’s body and a fair amount of debris off of him. He staggered to one knee, his eyes still filled with the now settling dust. He surveyed the area, aghast at the devastation that surrounded him. Half of the warehouse was gone, destroyed by a massive wall of black metal. Lake water bubbled and frothed over the flooring where the strange metal object had pushed through. Shafts of sunlight beamed through the serrated roof of the ruined building. The neat stacks of crates that once created the twisting hallways were thrown everywhere as though they were children’s toys. Bodies lay about everywhere, some moving…some not.

  Discarding his broken sword, Cassius pushed himself up to both feet and cradled his arm. Examining his wounds, Cassius found they were not serious. A jagged gash on his leg where D’ghelle’s sword had found its mark and another long cut caused by flying debris. He stumbled over slats of wood and chunks of s
tone as he moved slowly toward what was once the center of the warehouse. The corridor he had entered through was gone. All that remained was a huge stack of cracked and broken crates and the arm of a Diathanos priest, his white robes now stained red.

  Turning quickly from the grizzly sight, Cassius edged toward the center where the survivors seemed to be gathering. A paladin sat on his knees next to a sprawled comrade. The man’s helmet was off, revealing a pale face lined with blood just over his vacant eyes. A few feet away, one of the clerics was laying face down in debris.

  Cassius found Sajiix already on his feet – unharmed save for the dust that covered his amethyst cloak. He was giving orders to the Diamond Magi that stood next to him. The Fire Magi also stood on his other side, gazing down at the fallen form of the elder Amethyst Magi. The bald magic-user did not look happy with the orders that were given.

  “…somewhere safe. This area is going to be under attack soon and we have little time to debate,” Sajiix was saying tensely. “You and Jordyn must see Margas and Lynth to safety.”

  Cassius saw Lynth’s crumpled form behind the young Diamond Magi.

  “I am head of the Ruby Order of Magi, Sajiix,” snapped Erak. “I will make the decisions.”

  Sajiix pointed to the still form of Margas. “He is head of the Amethyst Order and he is now seriously wounded – which makes me acting master of the Amethyst Order. And I will tell you again to help Jordyn with these two! I will secure the Purestone.”

  Both were shouting over the tumultuous rage of the water below and the ominous creaking coming from the remains of the warehouse above and around them.

  Cassius stepped in with a commanding air. “It matters very little what either of you want. We must get everyone who still breathes out of this building before it falls around our ears. Since this man is a fellow headmaster of yours,” the knight pointed to Margas, “I would suggest you and your subordinate get him out. Sajiix and I will assist our friend Lynth. We can worry about the diamond later.”

  So authoritative were his instructions, the Diamond Magi moved immediately to aid the fallen Margas. Erak gave the Guildsman a reproving stare before he helped carry the man through the single path leading out of the warehouse.

  “Well done,” Sajiix began.

  Cassius cut him off with a stern look. “I will take care of Lynth and the others. You find that girl and get the diamond away. Get it as far away as you can until we can lead the Zynnashans out of here.”

  Sajiix looked at the metal ship that lay like a steel sea serpent that had beached itself. “I do not believe the Zynnashans will be going anywhere anytime soon.”

  As if knowing it were the subject of their discussions, the ship lurched slightly toward its port side with an echoing screech, followed by the cracking of timber above. Menacing thuds and clangs came from the bowels of the vessel.

  Whatever was inside was stirring.

  ***

  Myst had instinctively thrown herself toward the passageway, slamming Tair down as the warehouse began to crumble. As the dust settled, the first thing she felt was the diamond still in her hand. Tair was leaning against her, coughing, sputtering, and cursing. Across the passage to her right, she could see that part of the wall had collapsed onto Tienn. He lay unmoving, his arm outstretched to the sword he was just using. The cleric he had been fighting laid the opposite way, his legs jutting out in an unnatural manner. She could hear someone pulling the wreckage away from the other side where she could not see. Ahead of her, she heard the raised voices of Sajiix, Erak, and Cassius as they argued upon who was to carry the older Amethyst Magi.

  Then she finally noticed the ship.

  She grabbed Tair by the shoulder, yanking her up to a sitting position where she began to grumble irritably. Myst stayed silent over her protests, staring at the ship until Tair became quiet as well. The first thump that came from the ship had both women up on their feet, searching for their weapons.

  Tair’s search brought her to where Tienn lay. She knelt down, checking his life signs and was pleased when he let out a small groan. Around the corner of rubble, she heard someone scrambling to remove the ruins that had pinned Tienn down. Tair followed the sounds to find Ayce pulling up on a large cracked box that was sitting on top of Tienn’s legs.

  At least, Tair thought it was Ayce. The thing was wearing Ayce’s coat and had his raven-like hair. But the face was bestial, no better than the creature she and Myst had fought in the floodplains. Ayce’s ears had lengthened, his face had elongated, and his eyes were glowing with a yellowish-orange light. His shoulders were hunched over; his forearms had grown larger, tearing the sleeves of his coat and revealing thick black hair that had suddenly appeared. The beast looked up at her, its eyes filled not with rage or hunger, but with concern.

  “Help me,” Ayce hissed through sharpened teeth.

  Tair took a step back, wanting only to find her daggers and leave this insane place.

  The creature, seeing it was getting no help from her, turned back to its task of trying to free Tienn.

  Myst had found her uncle’s sword and was attempting to find a place to stash the diamond when the Amethyst Magi approached her. She turned to him; her sword pointed his way to keep him back. Instead, the Magi just lifted his hand and whispered a command. A ring on his hand flashed purple and a wave of dark violet energy wrapped around her entire body, throwing her against the crumbling wall. Her sword clattered away uselessly, but she held tight to the diamond. The Magi approached her quickly and with each step the surrounding force squeezed tighter.

  “I am done playing games,” he said impassively. “You can either join us to fight another day or you can fight me now and lose. Either way, I will be taking that diamond.”

  Stifling the cry of despair building within her, Myst let the diamond go. The Magi deftly caught it and stuffed it somewhere within the black and purple cloak he wore. The moment the diamond was out of sight, the energy around Myst faded away, dropping her to her knees as she pulled sweet air into her lungs.

  “Wise choice,” he said to her.

  The black ship shifted once again to its starboard side, leaning further into the warehouse, causing more of its roof to crack and fall. Myst grabbed her uncle’s sword, leveling it at the ship as she backed away. Her face was a vivid mask of terror – one Sajiix did not miss.

  “You have seen this ship before.”

  It wasn’t a question and all Myst could do was nod.

  Sajiix stepped closer to her, wary of the sword she carried in a shaking hand. “What happens next?” he asked her. “What will they do next?” His second question was louder, more insistent. It cut through the fog of fear that surrounded her.

  “The ship will open at the dome,” she pointed to where the warehouse roof had collapsed upon the vessel, obscuring the dome from view. “Zyn Beasts will come out…tigers. They know fire magic.”

  “Most of them do,” breathed Sajiix.

  “They will burn the city and the lion will watch.”

  Sajiix noticed that Myst’s voice immediately switched from fear to anger.

  “Listen to me,” the Magi said forcefully. “Vengeance will not be found with these overwhelming odds. Live today, fight tomorrow.”

  Myst blinked. “How do you know?”

  “I have been where you are now,” he answered sagely. “Let the odds work in your favor.”

  “What do we do?” she wondered aloud.

  “Find your friend,” he instructed. “Get as far away from here before the Zynnashans start their attack.”

  Myst nodded, sheathing her uncle’s sword as she searched the clearing dust for Tair. She sighed in relief as her friend came bounding through the shadows, her eyes revealing a concerned look.

  “What’s wrong?” Myst asked her.

  “That purple-skinned Guildsman,” she said with a cough. “He’s trapped and the other one is trying to help him, but he’s turned into a monster.”

  “Where are they?” Sajiix said
to her.

  Tair pointed to where Tienn’s feet still protruded from the wreckage.

  With a flick of his wrist, Sajiix commanded the magic and hoisted the debris up with ease, flinging it across the warehouse. The Magi turned to the women, his stern face pinched from the power he was exerting. “Go,” he ordered.

  Myst and Tair ran just as a large section of roof came down nearby, stirring up more dust. Sajiix lifted his hands up as he moved through the gloom toward where Tienn had been. Ayce was there, helping his friend to stand. Tienn was bloody and bruised, but he would live. The cleric he had fought with was not so lucky.

  The walls shook and snapped. The warehouse was minutes away from collapse.

  From the swirling cloud of finite debris came the form of Cassius carrying Lynth over his shoulder. He handed the limp Zynnashan to Ayce, the strain of hauling him showing visibly on Cassius’s face. “Take him out,” he ordered. “I have to go back.”

  “For what reason?” Sajiix asked him, but the Magi already knew the answer.

  “There are two Palidiamos still alive; one is severely injured. I cannot leave them.”

  “Baris is in there, as well,” Sajiix told him.

  Cassius was silent for a moment. “Is he the one who stole…?”

  Sajiix only nodded.

  “Go and I will follow shortly,” ordered the former Knight.

  Sajiix allowed Tienn to lean on his arm. He watched Cassius dive back into the disintegrating building’s center. “Always the hero,” he muttered before dragging Tienn out of the building with Ayce following closely behind.

  Outside, Sajiix blinked in the sunlight that was now filtered with dust and smoke, coloring the sky a putrid yellow. Screams and wails of pain and anguish came from his right on the other side of the beached Zynnashan ship. Sajiix recalled the swell of townsfolk that had been ordered to wait there, of the dozens of women and children that had been told they would be safe near the river. The Magi felt his rage building; he felt the familiar anger at the injustice of it and wanted nothing more than to unleash his own shadow magic at the steel boat.