by Ben Hale
Through it all Breaker battled a trio of Harbingers on the side of the room. The first he took down with a strike from his magical fist. The second was quick enough to duck his blow and scurried under a table. Breaker pulled the rocks from the wall and slammed them into it. He left him buried.
The third was fast, and launched a salvo of loose objects as he retreated. Breaker followed, and dodged the gravity thrown items with deft movements. Then the man whirled with a large steel cauldron rising above his head.
Breaker skidded to a halt and yanked the stones at his feet upward, forming a makeshift shield. Just as the barrier tightened in place the cauldron smashed into it. A large dent pushed into the wall, nearly breaking through. Unwilling to risk another blow, Breaker punched his barrier, splitting it in half and sending both pieces careening toward the man.
The Harbinger jerked in surprise but was not fast enough to evade. Coming at him from both sides, the piles of rubble sandwiched him all the way to the neck. He struggled to push them away, so Breaker shredded the cauldron with a blast of magic. At his touch the shards of metal wrapped around the stone like bands around a barrel. In an instant they tightened into place and solidified.
Breaker ignored the string of profanities from the helpless man and tore the glasses from his face. Ducking behind a fallen table, he crafted a fast message and sent it. He pulled the spectacles from his face but they inexplicably melted in his hands before he could move. The timing of their destruction implied intent, and Breaker felt a tremor of foreboding as he turned to aid the rock trolls.
At twice the height of the humans, the rock trolls displayed a ferocity that could not be matched by their smaller foes. But what the Harbingers lacked in strength and speed, they made up for with power and numbers. With the initial surprise fading, they struck back. Fire and stone streaked toward the battling trolls, forcing them to group tighter around Faiz's makeshift shield.
Then the pounding of footsteps echoed from elsewhere in the keep. In seconds the reinforcements poured into the great hall. Terus went down first. A mountain of fire consumed him as blades of ice and stone bombarded his body. His final act was to throw his rod like a spear. It pierced two men on its way to the wall.
Breaker sprinted through the barrage of deadly missiles with a shell of rubble at his back. He slid to a stop next to Raybex and Faiz. The moment he arrived Raybex wrapped the chain around his wrist and bellowed to his remaining troll.
"Bring up the rear!"
He then grasped another massive table and held it crossways. Roaring at his foes, he sprinted toward the front doors. In ten steps the entire surface of the table was aflame. In twenty it had begun to crack—but by then Raybex had reached top speed. With Faiz blocking attacks from the rear, Raybex plowed through the Harbingers. He trampled the ones who were too slow.
One man screamed as a great foot crushed his leg. Breaker winced as he heard the bone snap but he didn't slow. A heartbeat later they reached the now closed front doors. Raybex transferred the table to one hand and barreled into the exit with a roar. Heavy and strong, the door could not withstand the impact from 2,000 pounds of bone and muscle.
The portal exploded outward and the clattered into the courtyard. Breaker tripped and stumbled down a handful of stairs. Bruised and singed, he rolled to his feet to find Raybex alone beside him.
"Where's Faiz!" Breaker yelled. Then he saw him.
A chance strike had struck him in the leg as he'd defended their rear. He'd tumbled to the ground, alone. Raybex took a step in his direction but Faiz shook his head. Rising to his feet, he snarled at the wave of magic that cascaded into his back. Then he grasped the scarred and broken table and hurled it at the shattered great doors.
Breaker lost sight of him as the table filled the gap, preventing the Harbingers from passing through it. A moment later a metal pole plunged through the table and the outer wall, holding the table fast. Then another one fastened into the opposite side, pinning the door like nails in a board. The thud of flesh striking the ground resounded loudly to Breaker. Beside him, Raybex bellowed his rage. In the silence that followed Varson spoke from the top of a neighboring wall.
"I should thank you before you die, Raybex. Your sacrifice has allowed Breaker to send a message—which we have intercepted, of course." His eyes glittered in dark triumph. "We will make sure that Hawk receives it when we are ready for his arrival. I'm sorry to say that we have no need of you anymore."
Breaker slumped. Their escape, the battle, and his message—all of it had been designed to get Hawk to come here, where they would be waiting for him. As hundreds of Harbingers filled the wall top and prepared themselves to finish them, Raybex looked down on Breaker.
"Swear to me you will protect my son—and live to defeat them." Each of his words carried the weight of emotion and anger.
Breaker gave a solemn nod, and then he spotted something at the edge of the courtyard. An enormous sword hung against a wall like a trophy. Above it was a massive shield. Without hesitation Breaker sent a ripple through the stone. Striking like a whip, the blow sent the shield and sword scraping and sliding across the ground. It came to a stop next to Raybex. Everyone seemed to suck in their breath at the same time. Then Varson began to scream.
"Kill him! Kill him now!"
Hundreds of magic points blossomed into view . . . and then reached toward the two of them in a cascade of power. Time seemed to slow as Raybex met Breaker's gaze. An understanding of gratitude passed between them. Then the rock troll collected the enormous sword and shield and surged into motion. Alone, he roared a battle cry.
Breaker called on the rock courtyard. Four stone golems pulled themselves from the earth. Two he sent to slow the Harbingers on the walls. The other two he directed to guard their flanks. Then he bared his teeth and fought with a fury born of desperation.
One of the golems was shattered into rubble. Another followed soon after. With the Harbinger bodies piling in his wake, Raybex finally succumbed to the thousands of injuries he'd sustained. Broken, scorched and bleeding, the rock troll died in a circle of dead foes.
Breaker watched his fall with a heavy heart, but still he fought. His breath coming in ragged gasps, he struck with every ounce of power he possessed. Stone shattered across his foes as they advanced, and deflected every attempt to envelop him with anti-magic. He fought until his knuckles were bloody and his body refused to respond.
Then an anti-magic rope settled around him. Weakened and exhausted, Breaker had nothing left to fight with. He fell to his knees in defeat. The last thing he saw was Varson's black eyes, glittering in victory.
Chapter 25: An Unexpected Friend
"Remind me how you got permission to do this?" Derek asked Iris.
Iris shrugged, obviously not paying attention. "You said you wanted to get out, and the director authorized it."
"Which one?" Rox asked.
"Does it matter?" she replied, and gestured to the ball of glass they sat in. "We needed a break. Finals are two weeks away, and next week we will be swamped with preparing for them."
"I thought we were going to study today," Rox said with a frown.
"We'll be back from Oakridge this afternoon," Iris said. "You can study all weekend if you want."
Rox grunted her agreement and looked out of the sphere at the clouds floating by. Tess did the same, her mind elsewhere. She hadn't seen Hawk since after the mid-quad tests, and she was concerned. He'd taught her more about fighting with magic, and had praised her for her progress. He hadn't responded to her messages since.
Distracted by her concern, Tess watched the clouds drift, listening to Derek argue with his sister. On any other day she would have liked to explore the mage world further, but today she couldn't shake the tension in her heart. The marked one had said that another attempt on her life would occur by the end of the term. With the time getting shorter, her worries mounted.
They landed in the same bowl that she had departed from on her way to Tryton’s. As the
receiving tornado dissipated she stepped to the door. A man opened it for them, and smiled as they disembarked.
"Have a good flight?" he asked.
She nodded half-heartedly. Then she led her friends out of the building. Once outside she let the others take over. She kept her eyes on the shadows, cautious and wary. After a few minutes they entered their first shop, Electech.
"I love this place," Iris breathed, and jumped to a floating disk of odd, shimmering objects.
The store seemed to straddle the line between electronics and magic, but Tess couldn't have guess which side many of them belonged to. Glowing balls, rings, and tiny gadgets comprised the bulk of the items. Reading the descriptions didn't help.
Tresicals, three for the price of one.
Beronauts, pre-staticed,
Zerins, infused with light, or regular.
"What is all this stuff?" Tess asked, and reached out to an orb of liquid metal. Below it, a sign read, Caution, untuned Grend. Price upon request.
"I wouldn't," Rox said, but Tess had already touched it.
The ball wiggled at the contact. Then it giggled and changed into something akin to a chipmunk. It jumped off its stand and climbed up Tess's arm, where it burrowed into her shoulder with a soft coo.
"How did you do that?" Derek demanded. "They don't do that unless they are tuned to their master."
"What do you mean?" Tess asked, and reached up to stroke the thing. It shimmered at her touch and purred.
"It must be a mild one," Rox said with a shrug.
"Let's see," Derek said, and reached out to it.
In an instant the liquid shifted into a pair of jaws with steel teeth. It snarled and lunged at Derek's fingers. It closed with a chilling snap, nearly taking the fingers off his hand.
"That's the response I would have expected," Derek said ruefully.
"What is it?" Tess asked, and tried to gently slide it off her shoulder. After what it had nearly done to Derek she wasn't sure if she wanted it that close to her neck.
"It's a grend," Iris said, appearing from out of nowhere. "Don't touch any more or you could end up with more than you bargained for."
"Why would you think she'd bond with others?" Rox asked. "They don't tune with someone who already has one."
"Isn't it obvious?" Iris said.
Derek blew out his breath in exasperation. "Can you ever just explain what you mean? Iris? Iris!" She had disappeared again.
"Can someone please explain to me what is going on?" Tess asked, a trace of annoyance in her voice.
"It's an energy intelligence. It's like a pet," Rox said. "They were popular thirty years ago, but proved difficult to keep. You only see a handful these days."
Tess eyed the little ball of warmth that had cuddled into the side of her neck. She had the urge to pet it like a cat. "What does it do?"
"They can take on most any form, and over time can even absorb abilities from their master. They are always obedient to whomever they choose to bond with."
"If they’re so useful, why haven't I seen one before?"
"Because they choose to bond," Derek said. “Purchasing one doesn't mean you own it. I have an uncle who has owned one for thirty years and still hasn't gained its trust. It lives in a cage and tries to bite anyone who passes."
"So . . . it's wild?" Tess couldn't think of a better word.
Rox nodded. "They are sentient so they can't be tamed. They only choose to bond with a person for a while. Otherwise, they live in their natural habitat."
"Which is?"
Derek was examining a large, ethereal staff. Without turning away, he gestured to the one on her shoulder. "That one looks to be a mineral grend, so it probably favors rock or stone." He pointed to the other two on the shelf. "That one is green, so it comes from trees and plants, and that one obviously likes fire."
Iris reappeared at their side, stuffing a handful of objects into her bag. "I'm ready. Let's go."
"What do I do with . . . him?" Tess said. The grend yawned and went to sleep. She couldn't tell if he was oblivious or ignoring the conversation. "How expensive is he?"
Iris waved airily. "I already paid for him. Joran was steamed that it had bonded with you so I got it cheap. I think he was actually glad to get rid of it, though. It's been in his shop for a while."
She was out the door before Tess could say thank you. The three of them shared a look and then laughed.
"What are you going to name him?" Rox asked as they exited.
"Stel," she decided, but it felt like the name had been placed into her mind. The creature issued a huge yawn that was all mouth and then coiled around her neck like a necklace.
"I guess that means he likes it?" Derek said, and they both laughed.
For the next few hours Tess almost managed to forget the marked one and the threat of attack. After Electech they stopped at an earth shop for Derek, and then browsed the air boards in Skyflyers. When they got hungry they ate at The Troll's Gambit, and drank massive mugs of Goblin Grog, which was mostly foam and tasted like cinnamon.
On their way back to the launcher they stopped at Roasters for a treat. Tess followed Derek's lead and chose an apple with a caramel cinnamon glaze. Rox chose almonds while Iris chose pineapple. Then they watched as a gravity mage lifted the food into the air and coated it with their selected topping. A fire mage finished it by roasting it while it twirled.
They stepped outside and strolled toward the Terminous, polishing off the desserts. Once the orb was ready, they walked into the bowl and climbed aboard. Tess watched the lazy air currents, feeling content and happy. Then the man closed their door for them . . .
And she saw the mark on his hand.
She leapt to her feet but it was too late. He'd already exited the bowl and the wind was picking up. Panic gripped her as she heard a whine in the growing tornado that she'd never heard before.
"It's never sounded like that . . ." Rox said with a frown.
"We have to get out—ˮ
The tornado sucked them into the sky in a violent burst of energy, throwing them all to the floor. The glass sphere wobbled as it accelerated, and a dull shriek began to sound as it curved the wrong way. An instant later a crack appeared next to Rox. All four of them stared at it as it grew.
"What happened?" Derek growled, rising to his feet. "Launchers never fail."
Tess cringed at what she was about to say. "This isn't an accident."
"Someone did this?" Rox asked, her voice tight with fear. "But why?" She had to catch her hand on the bench as the sphere shuddered.
"You guys are daft sometimes, aren't you," Iris said, causing Rox to flush and Derek's face to cloud with anger.
"Just because you know things doesn't give you the right to treat us like we're stupid," he said. "Now spit it out or—
The sphere shuddered, and the crack blossomed like lightning across the orb's surface. Groaning as if in pain, the orb seemed to be making an effort to stabilize, but it couldn't find a balance and tipped farther to the side.
"We don't have time for this," Iris almost snarled. "We are off course and in a ball of glass about to shatter."
"What do you suggest we do?" Rox demanded. "If it doesn't kill us when it explodes, the fall will finish the job unless Tess could get help in time."
It was a vain hope and they all knew it. The fall would last no more than a minute, and that wouldn't give Tess a chance to reach the city and return with help. Still it seemed the only option until Iris blew out a breath in exasperation.
"Or we can all survive."
"How?" Tess said, fighting the rage and guilt that threatened to overpower her. If her friends died she would burn them to ashes. The anger was so bitter she could taste it.
"You, of course." Iris said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Derek can break the glass and keep it from killing us, you fly us to the city, and I get us through the cloudwall."
"How is she supposed to fly us all?" Rox asked, her eyes on the crack
that had now curved past her hand. "I know she's good, but no one can fly four people—even with a board."
"She doesn't need one," Iris insisted.
"How long have you known?" Tess asked. She locked eyes with Iris as the cracks spiderwebbed further.
"A few weeks," she admitted. "Ever since I saw you train with Hawk."
Tess shouldn’t have been surprised, but she was. Still, it was almost a relief that someone else knew. "I still don't know if I can do it."
"Trust me," Iris said. "I know you can."
Tess stared at her roommate, and realized that she trusted her. But was that enough? Could she really fly four people? Rox and Derek kept looking between them, confusion on both of their faces. Just as Derek opened his mouth to speak a massive piece of glass cracked next to him.
"We are out of time," Iris said. "We need to do it."
Derek seemed to be fighting with his desire to understand and his desire to live.
"I promise I will explain when we get to Tryton’s," Iris said, her voice impatient.
"I'll hold you to that," he said, and finally took his place at the center of the sphere.
Her heart fluttering in her chest, Tess took a stand next to him. Then she gestured to Rox. "When he breaks it, use the moisture in the air to keep it from cutting us to ribbons."
She felt a tremor from Stel, as if he were afraid as well. For some reason that made the moment more visceral, forcing her to swallow the bile that had risen in her throat. She touched the creature and murmured under her breath.
"Hold onto me, Stel."
She clenched her hands to keep them from trembling as she took up a position in the middle. "Are we really doing this?" she whispered to Derek.
"I don't think we have a choice," he shot back, and prepared himself break the orb. "Let me know when you are ready," he said to Tess.
The doubt in his face was unbearable. She looked away before it could spread to her. She closed her eyes and gathered herself, fighting her rising fear. In the back of her mind she heard Professor Lerik's voice.