Legacy of War (Arcane Space Book 1)

by Nyk Nova

  The Oscerian stumbled backwards and recovered just in time to grab Tare’s front snap kick. He pushed Tare back, hoping to get the man on his back and overtake him but Tare maintained control of the battle. He grabbed Kade’s hands, securing them to his boot and fell backwards, kicking his other foot into Kade’s gut. As he hit the ground he rolled, shoving Kade off him.

  The Oscerian hit the floor and rolled to his front. Both men stood at the same time but Kade was the first to launch the next attack.

  He threw two punches at Tare. The first was blocked, the second was nearly countered as Tare grabbed his arm. The Lugazian officer twisted his body, attempting to throw Kade over his shoulder but Kade kicked the back of his knee, throwing Tare off balance then shoved his face into the wall.

  Kade took three steps back and readied himself into a proper defensive stance.

  Tare pushed off the wall and put his hand to his nose. His blood was white and blended well with his pale skin. “Well done,” he said, his eyes dropping to the gun near Kade.

  Kade took a quick glance down then re-met Tare’s eyes. “You couldn’t manage it with a gun before,” he teased. He wanted Tare off balance and angry.

  The Lugazian rushed at Kade, leaping into the air, one foot forward. Kade side stepped the attack, while kicking the gun aside. His theory was that Tare wanted to use his hands and not the gun. And if what he said was true, Tare wan’t about to kill him on Lugaz. Especially not in the palace.

  Kade kicked out at Tare but the man was fast. Before he could bring his foot back, Kade found himself blocking a flurry of punches, each one getting closer than the last. He may have been a straight forward bull of a fighter but Tare was cunning in the hand to hand trap he had set.

  Kade held both arms in front of his head, expecting a straight punch but Tare dropped low and sent the expected attack into Kade’s wound.

  The Oscerian dropped to the floor, coughing up blood. The outside of the wound was still soft and in no way ready to be hit by anything.

  Tare stepped around the downed man and put him in a choke hold. “Just think, Oscerian, we would have been speaking to the Empress already. But you had something to prove.”

  “I already proved it,” Kade said, struggling for air. “You surrendered.”

  “And now, it’s your turn.” Tare squeezed tighter. “Let me hear it.”

  Kade hammered at Tare’s ribs with his elbow. Three strikes barely loosened Tare’s hold.

  “Or I can drag you to Jer’ren. A suitable alternative, I think.”

  Kade tried to pull Tare’s arm away from his neck but it was no use. His hold was too secure.

  A sudden surge of air blasted Tare away from Kade who fell to his hands, gasping for air.

  “What is the meaning of this?” Epok demanded as he walked toward them.

  “Where did you come from sorcerer?” Tare asked, massaging his shoulder from the force of Epok’s magic.

  “I was sent to see what is holding you up, General. You were to bring the Oscerian to the Empress, not quarrel in acts of barbarism.”

  “He attacked me. What was I supposed to do?”

  Epok took note of the blood on the wall, then the placement of the gun. “Why is your weapon placed as such, General? Did Kade’Tor Lorenth wrench it from your grasp?”

  “I didn’t need it.”

  “So this was a test of proving yourself his better?” Epok asked. He laughed at the prospect. “Perhaps your revenge for having surrendered to the man, yes?” The sorcerer summoned the gun to his own hand. “I assume, then, that your vengeance is satisfied? Or was he not at your mercy as I approached?”

  Tare stepped up to Epok and took his gun back. “He knows who his master is.”

  “And does his master know to clean up before presenting himself to our Lady?” Epok said, motioning to Tare’s bloody nose.

  Tare’s eyes went wide. Epok’s words were more than just a reference to decorum. They were a slant at who really won the fight. Tare may have had Kade in a hold but it was Kade who drew first blood. Blood of a color no different than a flag of surrender.

  Tare stormed out of the hallway as the doors to the library opened. Epok saw the guards rush out, weapons aimed at Kade.

  “And your usefulness was what, exactly?” Epok asked. “Leave us. I shall escort Kade, myself.”

  Ler’ren stepped out of the library, concerned for Kade’s well-being. She had a good idea of what his plan was for Tare but didn’t expect to see him standing from his knees. “Kade?”

  He held his hand up, not wanting to explain.

  Epok bowed to her with a sinister grin. Ler’ren averted her eyes. Whatever the sorcerer was thinking, she didn’t want to fuel it.

  “Now that the brutes are away,” Epok told Kade. “I am sure we can enter the presence of My Lady with the civility and respect due an Empress.”

  Kade took a breath, finally regaining his faculties. “What does Jer’ren want, this time?”

  “That, Oscerian, is for the Empress to reveal.”

  37

  The doors to the war room opened calmly as Epok lead Kade through them. Before the Oscerian even noticed those around the table, he caught sight of the holo-image of the planet above it. His mouth dropped.

  “Dinrall? No!”

  “You dare!” Epok snarled. His hand raised as if to slap Kade.

  “Speak for yourself, sorcerer,” Jer’ren said.

  Epok lowered the attacking limb. “Forgive me, My Lady. I overstepped.”

  Jer’ren beckoned Kade to the table. “Do you know this world, Oscerian?”

  “Only from feeds. I have never been there.”

  “Few have, as I understand. Save for one and his chosen. What do you know of this world?”

  “All Oscerian children are told of the horrors of Dinrall. It is a place of unimaginable danger. No one goes there, not even with an army.”

  “And yet, it houses an artifact of such myth and power. An artifact, I believe, you have some familiarity with.”

  “Only in name. The Sword of Aurtune,” Kade said with some reverence.

  “If the weapon be there, then perhaps Dinrall is not as dangerous as the the stories have said?”

  “How do you even know it’s there? Our own historians can’t even agree on the texts. And the only book left that could have proven it was lost years ago.”

  “You mean, this book?” Epok removed Aurtune’s journal from his robe and placed it on the table.

  Kade stared at the tome. He had never seen it before but he knew by its seal that it was authentic. “How did you get that?”

  “We have our ways,” Epok said with a smile.

  “You have spies in the Capitol,” Kade said.

  Epok merely nodded his head. It was neither a denial or a confirmation.

  “But you already have the Spirit Ignition Stone.”

  “One half of the whole,” Jer’ren said.

  “You want me to lead Lugaz against Osceria, fine. But if you get hold of the sword, my people suffer.”

  “Tell me something, how much suffering will your people do if you win in battle against them?”

  “At least they’d have a chance. Oscerians are strong. I have little doubt they could win against even my leadership.”

  “Much like the good General Tare?”

  Tare rose from his seat. “My Lady!”

  “Sit down, General,” she ordered. “Did you think I was not aware of your desire for vengeance against him? Check your collar, sir. You have no history of nosebleeds.”

  Tare looked down at the one spot he’d not seen before arriving in the war room. He rubbed at it in embarrassment and in vain.

  “Maybe that is your plan, hmm?” Jer’ren asked. “To war against your people, trying your hardest to lose.”

  “The sword was locked away for a reason,” Kade said. “Even Aurtune knew it was too dangerous. My people deserve a fighting chance.”

  “Need I remind you that they are no longer you
r people. The only way you are to see Osceria again is when my soldiers march upon its land in victory.”

  “You’re insane,” Kade said. “Even if I agreed to this, and even if the sword is there, Dinrall will ensure it never leaves. Aurtune made sure of that by putting it there in the first place.”

  Jer’ren’s eyes pierced through Kade. It wasn’t so much his insult to her mental state, she expected little else from an Oscerian, it was his outright refusal to do as she ordered. As Empress, Jer’ren did not have much that concerned her. Lugaz and her people did as they were told. There were few who questioned her demands but when one did, she made quick work of them. Kade was not only refusing her orders but by doing so, he was interfering with her grand scheme to bring Osceria under her rule.

  “General Tare!” she demanded.

  “Yes, Empress.” He didn’t wait to be told and moved to her side.

  Her hand was already out and waiting. For a brief moment, Tare expected to see fire ignite from her open palm. But it stayed empty as if waiting to receive something.

  Tare fumbled for his side-arm and place it in her hands.

  She clasped her fingers around it and closed her eyes. There was something primal about the gun. Magic was an ancient force. A knowledge that had no beginning as far as any historians knew. But this weapon, able to wound, kill— even its very presence in a room was more threatening than any who could use magic— it felt, somehow older. And almost reassuring.

  Jer’ren pointed the gun at Kade’s head. “You will do as your Empress commands you, Oscerian.”

  “I guess you’ll just have to pull that trigger—”

  “Mother?” Ler’ren said, entering the war room.

  Jer’ren’s face quickly changed to a smile as she flipped the gun around, presenting the grip to Kade. He looked at it then at her. This was not the first time Empress Jer’ren had handled a gun. She had held it with a soldier’s skill and he was sure that she could use it with that same skill. One might have considered her useless if all her magic was depleted. But if there was a weapon nearby, she would never be in total danger.

  Kade took the gun with some trepidation.

  “General Tare will see to it that your compatriots are with you on your task. We have no doubt you will need them to accomplish our goal.”

  “You’re going to send just the four of us down there?” Kade asked.

  “Of course not,” Jer’ren turned back to the holo-image above the table. “Tare will hand select further support. You would appreciate the back-up, yes?”

  Kade let his silence be the answer to her question.

  “You will make your way into the Pyramid of Yult, retrieve the sword and bring it to us.”

  “And then I’m supposed to bring Osceria to her knees?”

  “Precisely. We trust you know where the Vesper Haste is stationed?”

  “I do,” Kade said through gritted teeth.

  “Gather your troops, General, We want that sword within two days.”

  Kade turned on his heel and marched toward the door. His eyes met with Ler’ren’s as they approached each other. Without a word she pleaded with him to take her along.

  “To our side, daughter.” Jer’ren said.

  Kade nodded his head, assuring her that things would be fine as he stepped out of the war room. Ler’ren painfully returned the smile and did as her mother ordered.

  “I will make sure he follows the plan, Empress,” Tare said. “If he deviates in any way—”

  “Before you leave, General, I have a specific task that must be completed.” She swiped her hand along the feed screen controls, morphing Dinrall into Osceria. “Order the attack fleet to move in on Osceria.”

  “Empress? Before we have the sword?”

  “It is a contingency. Should Kade’Tor Lorenth act contrary to our wishes, we want a strike on the Capital City.” She slowly turned to Tare. “Annihilate it.”

  38

  "It’s what?” Pan Argus yelled at Sel.

  Sel bowed. “Forgive me, Emperor. Communication lines had been cut. Our own soldiers were not even aware that the war was over.”

  “Have the Lugazians set up a base, there?”

  “At last word, they have been completely pushed back.”

  “But they stole the Spirit Ignition Stone,” Pan fumed, wrangling his fingers together. “What damage can be done with the artifact?”

  “Director Eran would be more proficient in surmising such information. However, in what little studies I have accomplished in magical artifacts, I do not believe it a danger on its own. It is only one part of a whole.”

  Pan looked up at the Guild Director, waiting to hear more.

  “The Sword of Aurtune, Emperor. A pairing of the Spirit Ignition Stone and the sword would grant considerable power for its wielder. I cannot say for all of the enhanced attributes, but I do know that our very soldier’s armor can be controlled by whoever holds the combined weapon.”

  “Why was I not aware of this? How was this information not part of the coronation ceremony?”

  “It was information never passed down to your father. The Sword of Aurtune is not an artifact of common discussion.”

  “The Lugazians have the stone?”

  “As reported.”

  “Where is the sword?”

  “Lost to time, I am afraid,” Sel bowed apologetically.

  Pan pressed a button on his tunic. “Eran, present yourself to the throne room, immediately!”

  Before the Emperor could finish his last word, the air became charged and Eran appeared through the magic portal.

  “You sent for me, Emperor Argus?”

  “Where is the Sword of Aurtune?”

  Eran looked from Pan to Sel with some concern. “A strange question. One that has not been asked since the day it was first hidden, I would imagine.”

  “Cease your concerns and reveal its location, sorcerer. Or do you not know of it?”

  “I recall a passage, once read. But that tome seems to have disappeared.”

  “What do you recall?” Pan asked.

  Eran closed his eyes and thought for longer than Pan was patient for. The new Emperor shifted in the throne. He didn’t like being kept waiting. It was bad enough that the information was not given to him earlier but that when he now wanted it, it was not quick enough.

  “Eran!”

  “Patience, my Liege,” Sel said. “The mind has ways of unlocking.”

  Eran took a deep breath. “A pyramid. It is on a different world.”

  “Our allies?” Pan asked.

  “No. A place long known for its dangers. A place no Oscerian has ever set foot save for one.”

  “Dinrall?” Sel asked.

  “If memory serves,” Eran said.

  “How quickly can we send troops to Dinrall?” Pan asked. I want that sword before the Lugazians get it.”

  “Sire, there is no way of knowing that Lugaz has anyone looking for it,” Sel said.

  “If they have the stone, I must assume they know of its workings. And if they know that, then they will be after the sword. How quickly?”

  “It would take half a day in our fastest ship,” Sel said.

  “Then use the Spirit Veils,” Pan ordered.

  Sel’s eyes went wide. “But, my Emperor. The legalities—”

  “Changed as of this moment,” Pan retorted.

  “Then the consequences of such artifacts— Emperor, the Spirit Veils have been known to cause incurable madness. Surely there is a better way.”

  “Has the Administrator Guild Director Sel yet to finish his teleportation machination?” Eran asked, knowing the answer.

  Sel snarled. “You know we have not. Even if we had a working unit, we would have to send a receiver to Dinrall.”

  “So the only method is by Spirit Veil,” Eran said.

  “Emperor, I beseech you and appeal to your rationale,” Sel pleaded. “Our troops do not have the proper training to shield their minds from such tools.”r />
  “Our troops are the strongest in the galaxy, Sire,” Eran countered. “If they can live through the horrors of war then surely passing through their own reflections would be an easy task.”

  “Will all of them go mad?” Pan asked.

  “The ratios are two in every five, Sire,” Eran told him.

  “An acceptable loss if true,” Pan said. “Gather those of the strongest mind and send them to Dinrall.”

  “At once, Emperor,” Eran said with much glee.

  The training grounds of the Oscerian army were mostly empty. The shooting range, devoid of any practice. And the obstacle course of which the military tested its endurance had no soldiers running the difficult track. With the war over, the soldiers had been given a well deserved rest from the rigors of training. All except the handful standing on the track. Each one geared up for a full assault.

  One woman stood in front of the others. Inja’s demeanor was as that of Pan Argus’s. As an officer, she expected her orders to be followed just as the Emperor did. “Listen up. I know many of you were hoping for a little extra time off. But this order comes from the very top.”

  “He didn’t get my vote,” a soldier, scrawnier than the rest said.

  “Quiet, Alpho,” Inja ordered. “I realize many of you don’t care much for our new Emperor. But guess what, I don’t care much about that. You are soldiers first and citizens second. Doesn’t matter if it’s an Argus or a Lorenth giving them, you follow orders. Clear?”

  “Yes, sir!” the troops shouted in unison.

  “Good. Now I got these three weird looking mirrors in front of us. I’ve been told by Guild Director Eran, these are called Spirit Veils. Up until today they were considered illegal. Why that is, I do not know. What I do know is that one step through them and we’re all on a different world.”

  “I read about these things. They make people crazy,” a wide shouldered troop said.

  “You want to share with the rest of the class, Exin?” Inja asked.

  “Actually, sir, I think we should all know,” Exin said. “We might try to kill each other if we go through these things.”

  The other troops laughed at the comment. Despite his size and stature, Exin shrank back in silence, not wanting to be further ridiculed.