by Ben Hale
Many still feared the rock troll, but Toron knew he was only a threat to Elsin. He would not rest until the slayer of his companion was in his grasp, and for the first time, Toron found a genuine kinship with the troll. Both had lost much because of Elsin, and both wanted to see her dead.
Two days before the battle Toron was summoned to the exterior of the city. He’d spent the day finalizing the traps in Horizon and navigated his way through them. At one point he climbed over a fallen roof in order to avoid the street, which contained thirty barrels of stonesap hidden in a cavern beneath the road.
He reached the edge of Horizon and ascended to meet a small group gathered on a nearby hill. Alydian stood with Raiden and Marrow, as well as two of the Paladins, which Toron recognized as captained by Jester and Red. Astin and Ora were also present, as were the three generals, Shalric, Holly, and Winter.
“Toron,” Alydian said with a nod. “Thank you for coming.”
“Is this where we hear the true plan?” he asked.
“As clever as ever,” Raiden said. “And yes, this is where you learn our plan.”
“She likes the plan,” Marrow said, her eyes wide with excitement.
“You already know it?” Alydian asked.
“Your thoughts are quite loud,” Marrow said, eliciting amused smiles.
Alydian shook her head in amusement, and then pointed southeast. “The loyalty plague is tied to a runestone in Verisith. With Jester and Red in two Paladins, I will strike the front of the city, drawing their attention so Raiden can infiltrate the city from another direction.”
She nodded to Winter. “Winter has given us the location of a secret entrance to Verisith and Devkin has departed to find it. Marrow and Raiden will rendezvous with him and enter the city to seek the runestone.”
“You’re taking my sister?” Toron asked in surprise.
Raiden nodded. “Oracles cannot foresee her future, so Teriah will not be able to anticipate our attempt.”
“And she wants to go,” Marrow said.
“The Verinai have standing orders to capture her,” Toron said with a frown. “And you want to send her into their guildhall?”
“You trusted me when we scouted the Empire,” Raiden said.
“You had Jester and Red,” Toron said, not taking his eyes off Alydian.
“She trusts Raiden too,” Marrow snapped. “More than you, right now.”
“Toron,” Raiden said, “I know you fear for your sister, but I would die before letting the Verinai take her.”
“Or you could trust me,” Marrow said with a scowl.
“I do trust you,” he said to Marrow. “I don’t trust her.”
Marrow glared at him and then abruptly laughed. “That’s fair. But on this we are united.”
Toron shook his head and looked away. Winter then said, “What about the rest of us?” She gestured to the city.
“The rest of you will defend Horizon and Dawnskeep,” Alydian said, and motioned to Astin and Ora.
“You know our defensive plans,” Ora said, “We have fifty Requiems and Paladins, two of which will be used by Jester and Red. The rest we are dividing into four commands. Alydian has informed us that the Empire will surround the city to prevent escape. They expect a quick victory and will strike as the sun sets.”
“Do they know about the Paladins?” Winter asked.
“I cannot be sure,” Alydian admitted. “But their tactics suggest they do not, or they think their titans are impervious. The one thing I can be certain of is their use of the turned rebellion forces. Many of our allies are not under complete control of the plague, and the Empire has been forced to imprison thousands. Dwarves are being particularly resistant to the plague’s effects.”
“Dwarves have always been hard-headed,” Toron said.
“Aye,” Shalric said, and rapped his knuckles on his helmet. “Hard as steel.”
Alydian smiled. “Teriah has decided to keep our forces as a reserve, and will not send them into battle. She fears that faced with killing their friends and neighbors, they will overcome the plague and turn on the Empire.”
Astin was visibly relieved that he would not be fighting former allies. “They fight in their own way.”
“I have no wish to spill their blood,” Holly said, and then amended. “Except for the ones that destroyed my farm.”
“The Empire will use the titans as the front line, with the Verinai battlemages in second, and the human soldiers in third.”
“She’s risking the Verinai?” Winter asked.
“We are a thousand in number,” Alydian said. “While they are fifty times our size—even without the turned rebellion. She thinks we will be conquered, and doing so with the Verinai and their magic will cement their superiority for the future Empire.”
“What about the battle itself?” Shalric asked.
“Of that I cannot say,” she said. “I foresee their initial formation but that is all. Once the battle is joined you will be on your own.”
The realization that they would be defending themselves against an oracle—without an oracle at their side—left them all sober. Toron wanted to believe they could succeed, but when the opponent could see the future, how could they win? Their fate would be in the hands of Alydian and her force, meaning the rebellion at Dawnskeep had one task.
To survive.
Once Raiden and Marrow destroyed the runestone, the rebellion would suddenly have the whole of their might, turning the tide of battle in an instant. But if the runestone was destroyed too late, it would not matter, and Toron would be dead.
His eyes found Winter’s, and for the first time he wanted a future beyond destroying Elsin. Their companionship over the last few days was tentative and new, but he sensed the potential for more.
“Toron,” Alydian said, pulling him from his thoughts. “One more thing.”
“Elsin?” he guessed.
She nodded. “I know you and Galathon seek her death, and although I would wish her to be stripped of her magic and imprisoned, this war does not permit us the luxury of justice. You are leading the western contingent of Paladins, and Galathon will be in your command. When the time comes, you must stop her.”
“We shall,” Toron said with a nod.
“Then we are ready,” Alydian said. “Astin, Ora, keep them alive.”
“To the last breath,” Ora said.
Astin took her hand in his. “To the last breath,” he murmured.
The avowal was echoed by the others, the words ringing with the certainty of their fate. All knew the battle would be their last. Alydian swept her eyes across the group, emotion drawing tears.
“My friends,” she said quietly. “You are the truest of allies, my beloved family. I bid you farewell.”
She reached down and collected the pack at her feet, as did Raiden. Then they embraced those in the circle and offered their farewells. Toron hugged Marrow last, and she smiled up at him.
“She says we’re going to win.”
“She’s also crazy.”
Marrow giggled. “I’ll see you when it’s over.”
“I’ll have a mountain of cheese for you.”
Her eyes lit up with excitement. “Don’t promise what you can’t deliver.”
He looked to Raiden and the elf nodded, a tacit promise to protect her. They gathered together and raised hands in farewell. Then they strode away. In their Paladins, Jester and Red nodded to the group and followed, their giant forms disappearing in the fading light. When they were gone Winter stepped to Toron’s side, her hand finding his. Neither spoke, and none moved until darkness swallowed them.
“Let’s go to war,” Shalric growled.
“No,” Ora said. “To victory.”
Toron smiled with the others and cast a look where Alydian had departed. Their entire plan rested on Raiden, Devkin, and Marrow finding and destroying the runestone. Toron recognized the necessity of his sister’s presence, and the reason she could be the greatest asset.
&
nbsp; But she could also be the greatest flaw.
Chapter 41: Broken
The journey to Verisith was tense, and Alydian felt the weight of the rebellion on her shoulders. Everything hinged on the success of their endeavor, and if they didn’t break the runestone, her friends and allies would be slaughtered, knowing she had failed.
Raiden’s companionship was an unexpected boon. His mere presence bolstered her resolve, and she wished he would be at her side when she, Jester, and Red stormed the citadel. When they reached the parting in the path, she clung to a final embrace, hoping it was not their last. He kissed her and smiled, and then strode away with Marrow. Alone with two Paladins, Alydian hiked the remainder of the distance to Verisith.
“I could carry you,” Jester said, his voice distorted by the magic of the Runeguard.
“I’d rather walk,” she said.
At twenty feet tall, the Paladins had to shrink their gait in order to keep pace with her, but she required the time to examine her future, and Raiden’s. She needed the timing to be exact, which was the excuse she gave. She didn’t say she needed time to suppress whisper.
I could destroy Verisith, whisper said.
She resisted the urge to respond, and the magic of rage scowled and retreated. It had grown increasingly sullen in recent weeks, and Raiden’s presence had all but silenced it. Rage could not blossom in the presence of hope, a fact she found comforting.
A swirl of green smoke appeared at her side and she smiled. “Hello, Mother.”
“Is everything set?” Elenyr asked, rising to walk with her daughter.
Jester and Red glanced down but continued their measured pace. Alydian had informed them both of Elenyr so they wouldn’t accidentally strike when she appeared. None but the six going to Verisith knew the truth—that Elenyr was the true secret. She would infiltrate the city with her unique magic and also seek the runestone—two attempts on the same target, both depending on Alydian’s effort to draw the forces to the front gates.
“Everything is in place,” Alydian said.
“I’ve scouted what I can,” Elenyr said, “but the city defenses are steeped in magic I cannot pass.”
“Do they know we’re coming?” Alydian asked. They were a few miles from the Canyon of Mages and she began to feel the tension in her blood, the calm before the battle.
Elenyr smiled, the expression one of anticipation. “They do, and are preparing themselves as we speak. They do seem a trifle frightened, but then, the last time you fought, you destroyed a fortress.”
“I’m not using the magic of rage again,” she said.
“I know,” Elenyr said. “But they don’t know that.”
“Are you actually excited?” Alydian asked.
“Of course,” she said, her green eyes sparkling. “If I survive this war I get to be free.”
Alydian couldn’t help but smile. “And if I survive I get to be with Raiden.”
“Enjoy it while you can,” Elenyr said.
“What do you mean?” Alydian asked.
“You know you can’t be with him,” Elenyr said distractedly.
Alydian stared at her, and then Elenyr noticed her expression. She frowned, and then blinked in sudden understanding. Her expression turned regretful. She reached out to Alydian and placed a hand on her arm.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I thought you knew.”
“Knew what?”
“Raiden has honor and integrity,” she said, “but he has no magic. If you are joined to him, your child would likely not be an oracle.” Her gaze bored into Alydian. “Our oracle line would come to an end.”
Dread gripped Alydian’s heart like a steel gauntlet, cold and crushing. She wanted to argue, to disagree, but in her heart she knew her mother spoke the truth. And with only Alydian and Teriah still alive, the importance of her continuing bloodline was paramount.
“I’m sorry,” Elenyr repeated.
“I understand,” Alydian said softly, fleetingly grateful that they had drifted behind Jester and Red, and the two had not heard the conversation.
“I would never have revealed it before the battle,” Elenyr said, her face twisted in regret. “I honestly thought you understood.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Alydian said.
Her voice sounded wooden, but she couldn’t muster enough emotion to console her mother. Her future, her hope, had been destroyed in an instant. Her mother clearly wished she’d never spoken but the words were out. She again reached out for Alydian, but Alydian shrugged away.
“The battle is upon us,” she said. “You should go.”
“Alydian . . .”
“Go,” Alydian said. “It’s time.”
Alydian sped up, leaving her mother behind. At first Elenyr sought to keep up but Alydian continued to accelerate, fleeing from the conversation and the tears it would bring. She sprinted past Jester and Red and they called out for her. Alydian ignored them, and cast a speed charm to accelerate even more.
She did not look back or deviate, and the Paladins surged to keep up. Regret and loss filled her until she tasted bile. Still she ran. She charged through the pass leading to Verisith and descended into the valley.
A hundred-foot statue looked down upon her, a great boulder its footstool, keeping it free of the lake. She sprinted around the lake and aimed her path for the canyon and the waiting soldiers beyond.
“Alydian!” Jester shouted, his voice distant as he tried to keep up.
She sped into the canyon and turned the corner, the first wall coming into view. Spanning the canyon, the great wall contained a mighty portcullis. The steel barrier had turned fluid, and hundreds of steel needles extended, their movement resembling snakes. Two hundred Verinai battlemages stood on the wall and someone shouted down to her.
Yearning for the heat of battle, for the fire that would cleanse her mind of her burnt hope, she summoned flames in her palms. Her reckless charge drew cries of alarm from the Verinai and they launched a barrage of enchanted missiles.
Alydian shaped the flames into a wall that knocked them aside, and the ringing contact seeped into her heart like a death knell. The death of her life, her future, her love. All at once her sorrow morphed to anger, and whisper leapt with delight.
But her anger was not the magic of rage, it was the fury of regret. Her mother was no longer an oracle, her sisters had betrayed her, and now her beloved was gone. She was alone, and the Verinai had caused it all.
Whisper fought to breach her anger but she hardly heard its voice. Her gaze fixed on the barrier ahead, she called on the earth and it surged upward, throwing her into a soaring leap. She flew forty feet and the Verinai shouted in dismay, their missiles knocked wide by her fire shield. Releasing a primal scream she landed in the midst of the Verinai, and brought her fists onto the battlements.
Fire exploded outward, knocking Verinai into the canyon walls. They tumbled from the battlements and struck the canyon floor, their vaunted magic shattered and broken. But they were battlemages trained for combat, and they rallied against her.
Spears streaked out of the canyon walls, forcing her to step off the battlements to escape the barrage. She cast a strength charm and landed behind the portcullis, where hundreds of entities waited.
Bears and wolves, lions and reavers, they’d been waiting for the portcullis to open. Their flesh forged from every type of magic, they filled the canyon, the light from their bodies reflecting off the wall as far as she could see. Their lips curled back in snarls of fury and they pawed the earth. Any other time they would have inspired fear, but not today.
The loss of love burned in her chest, and she poured the emotion into action, diving into the horde of entities in a reckless charge. Wolves of earth lunged for her throat and she burned them to dust. Bears of light reared to their hind legs and she yanked on the stone wall, crushing them into oblivion. A reaver of fire leapt over the rubble and she stepped under its body. With her strength still active she caught the beast and yanked it to t
he earth—onto a spike of stone.
In her wake Jester and Red reached the wall and caught the portcullis in their hands. Enchanted and empowered to stop any attack, the barrier fought the two Paladins, the needles of steel plunging though the armor into the aquaflesh. But it could not harm Jester and Red, who were still back in Dawnskeep inside their Requiems. They reared back in unison, ripping the portcullis from its moorings.
The entire wall came down as the supports were broken, and the battlements crumbled into the canyon, taking the mages with it. They screamed as they were buried and the Paladins leapt the rubble, diving into the horde of entities. Both drew the swords from their backs and carved their way through the magic creatures, sending shards of broken magic into the wall.
Lost in the heat of battle, Alydian yielded to her instincts. Honed as a Runeguard and further in her cell, she twisted and struck, conjuring a tornado of fire that churned through the ranks of creatures, sending them soaring.
A wolf slipped through and lunged, catching Alydian’s wrist. She flung the beast into Jester’s sword, where it was cloven in two. The sting of the injury did little to abate her fire and she caught the next creature in a blast of light.
The trio charged through the fray, the maelstrom of combat taking them down the canyon to the second barrier. The fortification had resembled a dragon curled around the portcullis—but now it uncoiled from its position to unleash a blast of dragon fire at Alydian.
She summoned an earth shield, the ground rising to meet the blast of superheated flames. Fire coursed around her and heated the stone to yellow. Her feet sliding backward, she strained to hold the shield.
Jester leapt to Red and she grasped his foot, launching the massive Paladin over the flames in a soaring arc. Raising his sword as he fell, Jester landed on the dragon’s head and drove his blade through the sentient’s upper jaw.
The dragon flailed to the side, its flames cutting off as the sword filled its maw. Smaller entities were crushed as it sought to dislodge Jester. Then Red leapt to the wall and kicked off, bringing her sword into the wing joint, driving it into the ground. Partially pinned, the beast trampled entities as it snapped at Red. But Jester muscled the head to the ground like a cattle herder dropping a steed.