“What is happening?” Ellen asked.
“Quaet is making his play,” said Seres. Then he turned back to his soldiers standing in the doorway of his quarters. “We need to act fast. Alert the men. I want them all in the palace. Strike down anything that moves.”
“Who are we fighting?” asked the soldier.
“Nikali, his personal guard, and anybody that is not a Myrus soldier. Kill them all.”
Seres’ squad fought their way through the palace. They found success in every room as they drove deeper into the building. Nikali’s followers were no match for Seres’ troops.
Their next challenge was to find Cassandra and the Red Cast. Seres was not sure what she was capable of, but he was worried she was going to be close to if not as powerful as Nikali.
There was still the sense of fear, but it was not as sharp as it used to be. Seres was encouraged that their plan was working. With Nikali down Seres had a chance to win this battle. He could challenge Cassandra. She had never gone off the edge like Nikali had.
Seres charged into the next room. There were only a few of Nikali’s men in there and they were quickly disposed of. They tried to throw the furniture at Seres and his legion, but Seres was too quick.
Cassandra was down in the private chambers along with the Red Cast. She sensed Nikali’s arcan suddenly pierce into her heart then diminish. It left an aching pain in Cassandra’s mind.
“We have to get to Nikali,” said Cassandra. The Red Cast nodded their heads in agreement. Each one of them could feel Nikali’s pain.
“Strike wide,” ordered Cassandra. “Carve a path of destruction through the palace. Flood it with their blood.”
Then Cassandra opened the door of the private chambers and they went into the palace in search of their Emperor, Nikali.
Nikali took the knife and turned it on his attacker’s dead body. He cut into her chest and carved out an opening. He hacked away at her body until he broke through her flesh and bones and her heart was revealed.
Outside of the room, soldiers' footsteps could be heard. They marched through the hallways. Screams carried through the walls as the soldiers took down Nikali’s devoted followers.
Nikali looked down at Alma. His eyes lit up. Blood pooled around her insides. He licked his lips and began to feast.
Seres’ soldiers continued on the move. Cassandra and the Red Cast powered through the hallways. The soldiers in their paths slammed into the walls. The foundation cracked as they made their way toward Nikali.
Seres’ legion was outside the Emperor’s chambers. They heard the disturbance behind them and they braced for battle. Cassandra and the Red Cast were being surrounded. More soldiers were still rushing into the palace.
“He’s in there,” said Cassandra as she pointed at the door behind the legion standing guard.
The Red Cast floated toward the door. The girls swirled in the air like mist in the wind. The soldiers did not know how to defend against an attack coming from above. The Red Cast picked off the soldiers one by one.
Cassandra walked forward. The Red Cast cut a path through the guards. She was able to walk unharmed through the massacre. The door was still opened a crack. Cassandra pushed the door wide open.
Nikali was on the floor in full bloody display. He leaned back against Alma’s heartless body. Blood stained his chin, and Nikali looked at Cassandra with his bloodlust eyes.
“It’s time to go,” said Cassandra.
“I was just getting used to the place,” said Nikali. “The sun sets. Ravens can fly.”
Cassandra got to Nikali and helped him to his feet. She helped carry his weight as they headed for the exit.
“We have to get Heric,” said Nikali.
“It’s too late,” said Cassandra.
“No,” said Nikali.
“We have to go. They have us surrounded. We are losing our strength. We can’t get you and Heric and defend ourselves.”
“Yes, we can,” defied Nikali. He broke free from Cassandra. His strength was returning, but the energy Nikali got from Alma was hardly anything. Still, Nikali was going to stand his ground.
Eluan soldiers were regrouping on both sides of the hallway. Nikali and the others were trapped. The Red Cast guarded the door to Heric’s chambers. If any of the soldiers wanted to get to Nikali they would have to fight his personal guard first. Instead, the soldiers kept their distance this time. Those that had survived the first attack by the Red Cast did not want a repeat of events.
Nikali picked Heric up out of bed. He could barely hold his cousin. Heric was always bigger, and stronger than him.
“We don’t have time for this,” said Cassandra again, but despite her words she rushed forward to help Nikali carry his unconscious cousin.
“This isn’t over,” said Nikali.
“No,” said Cassandra. “We will regroup.”
“Good,” said Nikali.
Francesco de Seres wanted to be there for the final downfall of Nikali and his followers. He wanted to get the credit for issuing the final blow.
Screams and shouts grew louder as Seres made his way deeper into the palace. He was getting close. They passed dozens of fallen soldiers along the way. The Red Cast was swift in their destruction.
Soldiers were seen off in the distance of the hallway. Seres pushed forward and led his legion toward the commotion.
The moment was even better than Seres could have imagined. The Red Cast was surrounded by Eluan soldiers on all sides. The women were huddled close together in front of a doorway.
“Surrender,” Seres ordered the Red Cast. The battle came to a standstill.
The Red Cast ignored Seres’ demands. They stepped forward in unison. As their half circle went wide the door to Heric’s chambers opened. Nikali, Cassandra, and Heric made their way out to the hallway.
Nikali could barely stand. Heric’s body was limp as he dragged it across the floor. Cassandra did what she could to steady both men.
“There is no escape!” Seres yelled.
There was only one plan of action for Nikali and his gang at that point. There was one door directly across the hallway. It led to more private quarters of the emperor’s chambers.
“Surrender Nikali and Heric,” said Seres. “The rest of you can survive the night.”
The Red Cast remained silent. They would never betray their master.
Nikali and Cassandra shared a look. They glanced at the doorway then back at each other. Nikali’s powers were waning once again. Alma was not enough. He and Heric were slowly crumbling to the ground.
“I can get the door,” said Nikali.
“Hurry,” said Cassandra. “I don’t have much left in me.”
Nikali parted ways with Cassandra and Heric. He stumbled toward the door on the opposite side of the hallway.
“Charge!” Seres commanded his army.
The soldiers rushed forward toward the Red Cast. The girls held the line with their arcan. The soldiers slowed up against an unseen force. Their actions came to a crawl. The front lines were easy pickings for the ladies of the Red Cast. They stabbed mercilessly at their enemies.
Nikali got to the door. He opened it with the last bit of his power. The room was dark and musty.
Seres fought against the arcan atmosphere the Red Cast were producing. The barrier was dispersing. Their power was draining.
Nikali collapsed into the darkness. He was the first through the doorway. The Red Cast closed in on their exit. Cassandra dragged Heric along the ground toward the door.
Then Seres’ blade struck Cassandra in the neck. She dropped Heric and stumbled to the ground. Her body contorted in pain and gasped for air.
The soldiers continued their raid against the Red Cast. There was no time to save Cassandra. The Red Cast continued on their retreat through the doorway.
Cassandra watched with her dying sight as the doorway closed in front of her and the soldiers swarmed her and Heric.
The soldiers continued on with their pursuit. They charged
through the doorway that Nikali and the Red Cast just escaped through. They did not bother opening the door. They broke through it with brute strength.
The door splintered open, and the soldiers charged through after Nikali. Torch light blinded the first soldiers through the entrance.
But Nikali and his followers were gone.
The room was completely empty. There was no further escape. That was the only door in the room.
Questions and confusion filled the room. Seres pushed his way through to see what was going on. “Where are they? Where are they?!”
Seres began screaming in the face of one of the soldiers demanding answers.
“They just came through this door,” Seres yelled. “What happened to them?”
Seres thrust the soldiers to the floor. Then he ran to the door and began throwing pieces of the debris around the room.
“They were just here!” Seres yelled again. “We had them! Find them! Find them or it will be your heads!”
Seres retreated from the area. He could not be around his failure. As he walked he knocked back any soldier that was in his way. Eventually, a path was made for him as Seres walked to his newest destination.
The hallway was covered in blood and palace debris. Cassandra was at his feet. Seres cleaned his sword of blood with Cassandra’s dress. It was satisfying to have killed one of Nikali’s followers, but it still wasn’t Nikali. But there was one prize Seres could congratulate himself on. He had Emperor Heric Caning in his possession. Francesco de Seres was a member of the Royal Council now, and he had the power of the Emperor at his disposal.
Chapter 88
The Red Cast stumbled on the cold stone floor. Their arrival was met with darkness. They had escaped from the threat of their attackers at the palace, but the women feared they had gone to an even worse fate. They did not know where Nikali had led them.
He lay unconscious at their feet. His breathing was becoming shallow. Blood pooled around him. They were losing him.
They had used up much of their power on their fight through the palace and their escape through the door. They gave up everything just to get out of the palace with their lives.
Against all hope Elia finally broke her silence and screamed out for aid. “Help us! Help!” She shouted into the shadows and hollow darkness of the room they found themselves in. There were no windows. There were no torches lit.
“Emperor Nikali is here!” she yelled. “We need help! Get in here!”
Then the Night’s Flowers that were hanging in the room roared to life. Their white light burned bright across the basement. The women turned their heads to avoid the light of the flower. It burned in their eyes and for a moment the room got even darker.
“What happened?”
The Red Cast turned around. The Blood Beauties were standing between them and the door. Mareen knelt over Nikali. She looked over their fallen god. Her hands pressed against Nikali’s chest. Then she turned Nikali around. Her fingers toiled around the wounds in his back. She drove her fingers inside one of the cuts. Nikali spasmed and choked on blood instead of screaming out in pain.
“Stop that!” Elia demanded. She shoved the Blood Beauty away from Nikali. Her sisters rushed forward. Elia would not back away. She stood her ground face to face with the other two Blood Beauties.
“Look through my thoughts,” said Elia. “I am not afraid of you.”
Mareen took a step back. She joined her sisters getting back to her feet. Mareen took her fingers and licked them clean of Nikali’s blood. The three of them looked across Nikali’s body and stared at the Red Cast.
“You had a pact with Nikali,” said Elia. “He needs your help.”
“We can let him die,” said Mareen. “The palace has been taken. He is no use to us, now.”
“The grass is tall. The bird sleeps,” cursed Elia.
“Do you have the books?” asked Mareen. She looked over at all of the women of the Red Cast. The Red Cast was empty handed. “We should kill you all right now.”
“Then Nikali will do nothing for you,” said Elia.
“We take the knowledge we need,” said Mareen. “We can fight the rest of Eluan for them.”
“But you do not have the translations,” said Elia. “Only a handful of people can translate it. Not us. But one of them is dying on your floor.”
“Will you save him?” Elia asked. “Or do I have to fight my way through the door again?”
“There is a payment,” said the Blood Beauties in unison.
Elia took a step back. She lined up together with the rest of the Red Cast, their bloody daggers now visible. The unity of the three Blood Beauties took her off guard for a moment.
“We will get the books back, and with Nikali’s recovery you will get the translations. That is payment enough,” said Elia.
“No,” said Mareen. “That is enough for us to protect you. That is enough for us to work together and claim Eluan as ours. But that is not enough to start our new alliance.”
“What do you want?” Elia asked.
“We want one of yours future,” said Mareen.
The Red Cast looked at each other, unsure of what the Blood Beauties wanted.
“Yes or no,” asked Mareen.
Then the four girls nodded their heads. They would agree to anything as long as it saved Nikali’s life.
“Good,” said Mareen. “We will expect our payment when the time is right. But until then, Nikali will live. That I promise you. But for how long I do not know.”
“Very well,” said Elia.
“We expect a reckoning,” said Mareen. “They will die before we do.”
“Of course,” said Elia. “The Royal Council will pay for this. Eluan will fall.”
Chapter 89
The doors to the Council room had been ripped off their hinges. Soon every door in the palace would be taken away and burned out in the courtyard. Soldiers were still canvassing the area looking for any whereabouts of Nikali. The construction in the palace and throughout the city had been immense over the months. There was no telling how many doors Nikali had built that could handle the aparating that arcan allowed.
As of the moment the only guaranteed safe place against Nikali appearing was the palace itself, now. The Royal Council was trapped at the scene of the crime.
The Royal Council convened in the Council room to discuss the new future that was set before them. Quaet’s gamble had mostly paid off. Nikali was down for the moment, and they had possession of Heric. If Nikali tried an attack against them they would kill Heric and anybody else they could find that was close to Nikali.
Francesco de Seres and Ellen Caning waited with the other Council members for the last member to arrive, Quaet. He was the mastermind of their freedom from Nikali’s reign and it came the time to honor him. They had wine ready to toast their liberator.
The door opened and Quaet entered the room. The Council cheered their salutes at the eldest and most cunning of Council members.
Seres meekly raised his mug to Quaet. The old man could have his moment. Seres would give him that. But this did not stop Ellen and his dreams of the future.
“Thank you,” said Quaet. “We only did what needed to be done. Now, Nikali is gone, and with only a minor slip up from Seres’ side of things, Nikali may have gotten away, but he is near death, and I assume he will be dead shortly.
“But I am here today, to remind you why we banded together to bring down the tyrant that Nikali became. It was so Eluan could be led back into its golden era with an alliance that Emperor Cyrus Caning foresaw as the golden bridge into our future.
“Please, welcome to her proper place on the throne, Empress Marina Caning, the rightful heir to Eluan and Princess of Louson.”
Marina sauntered into the Council Room with the recently released Kastor and Tyeche at her side. She was as elegant as ever. A newly furbished crown sat on top of her head.
Without a word Quaet knelt down to his knees to properly greet his new Empress. Th
e conspirators of the Royal Council, General Twell, Colonel Palin, and Marais were the next to bow down to their new leader. Then more of the Council members followed their lead.
Seres and Ellen were the last to join the crowning of the newest leader of Eluan. Out of sight Seres grabbed hold of Ellen’s hand and gave it a tight squeeze. Together they would hold back their words and continue to move forward. Seres swore Marina would fall just as Heric did. Just as Nikali did. Seres would destroy the Caning legacy.
Marina looked down at her Royal Council. She smiled, and greeted them all. “Your loyalty will be greatly rewarded. Now, it’s time to save the wretched souls that Eluan has created.”
Chapter 90
Odessa leaned against the carriage keeping a look out. It was a beautiful sunny day. The weather was pleasant for once, and it made traveling almost unbearable. The group wanted nothing more than to take some time to relax. They had been on the road for weeks, staying hidden on the back roads and in any abandoned house they could find. Their carriage had been stolen from a town just outside of Myrus.
Abigail was up on her feet now, and Odessa decided perhaps it was time to take a short break. After the horrors and loss in Myrus they needed to take the time to regroup for the next leg of their trip. It would not be easy getting to New Prial. Its difficult landscape was its greatest ally.
Off in the distance, Odessa spotted Darden and Grifith running across the field back toward the carriage. Odessa panicked. She looked out to see where the danger was coming from, but nothing presented itself. Darden and Grifith were not trying to avoid anything. They were coming to her to alert her of something they discovered.
“Farrah, Odessa!” Darden shouted. “You have to come see this.”
Odessa got Abigail’s attention and the four of them headed out to Darden and Grifith’s discovery. It was just off in the distance and tucked away in the woods. Grifith found it when he snuck away to go to the bathroom.
When they arrived Darden and Grifith presented their find.
It was a door.
A free standing door in the middle of the woods.
Eluan Falls: A Whisper of Fate Page 41