‘The human was telling the truth,’ Elyx said, tilting his head towards Ash. ‘A hundred ships are on their way to the World of the Woods.’
Silence filled the room as the reality of the situation fell over everyone listening like a dark storm cloud.
‘Do we know when the ships will arrive?’ Vas finally asked. He was always so stern-faced and strong, but even he seemed unnerved by Elyx’s announcement.
‘We don’t know,’ Jack said. ‘The humans have lost all communication with Earth. They have no way to send a message to turn the ships around. And even if they could, I’m not sure Denton would do it.’
‘Why not?’ Vas asked.
‘Because they cannot go back to Earth,’ Jack replied. ‘He wants to stay and colonise Aeris. And he seems to believe we can all defeat the Brakys together.’
Vas’ eyes grew even darker as Jack spoke. The idea of losing the World of the Woods to the humans clearly didn’t sit well with the Unfaih king. It made Sloane feel uneasy as well because it meant they would have no choice but to close both rifts. She pushed the thought from her head though as suspicion grew in her mind about her brother.
‘You knew the Captain sabotaged the communications,’ she shot at Ash, her voice filled with cold anger.
Ash whipped his head around to look at her. ‘No,’ he protested. ‘I didn’t know anything about that.’ He was still earning dark looks from everyone in the room, and there was almost a flicker of guilt in his eyes as he turned back to look at the others.
‘How can we trust you?’ Rhyn asked Ash stiffly. ‘Why did you help him? Why are you only telling us everything now?’
‘Until I heard Esther’s story, I believed my father was trying to make our world better,’ Ash replied, his voice devoid of emotion as he looked across the table and met Rhyn’s stare. ‘I thought he was fighting to find a new home for our people, to obtain the Liftsal so he could use it for the good of our race. I had no clue he was leading us into the claws of those creatures.’
He turned his head and scanned everyone else in the room with pleading eyes. His gaze also held a hint of sadness and shame as he searched for any sign that he was being believed.
‘My father lied to me my entire life,’ he continued. ‘He put me and my sisters and hundreds of others in danger. I want to stop him from whatever he’s doing just as much as you do.’
Sloane looked away from her brother as he spoke and clenched her teeth as she tried to withhold her anger. Even though Ash had told them the truth about the human ships, she still wasn’t sure if she could trust him, and she wasn’t ready to forgive him for all he had done.
Rhyn glanced at his father and Vas nodded, before Rhyn turned and focused on the Unfaih guard who stood silently behind Ash. ‘We’ve got enough for now. You can take him back to his room.’
Ash sighed as the Unfaih warrior took hold of his arm and started to pull him away. Sloane’s brother didn’t object, and he didn’t try to fight back. He seemed resigned to his imprisonment. But even more strangely, Ash didn’t seem to care that he was a captive any longer. His usual arrogance was nowhere to be seen, as though he felt deserving of his punishment.
‘We’ve been questioning him for a while,’ Rhyn said, once the door was closed. ‘Trying to get more information out of him.’
‘And?’ Sloane prompted.
‘I think he’s told us everything he knows. He doesn’t know when the Captain and the Brakys will strike.’
Sloane collapsed down into her brother’s vacated chair, feeling suddenly exhausted.
‘How do you wish to proceed?’ Elyx asked, coming to stand near Vas’ chair. The king rose slowly from his seat, and the room fell silent as everyone waited for him to speak.
‘Rhyn has told me that Kai believes he has found a way to close the rifts to the World of the Woods safely.’ Vas spoke confidently, but there was a hint of scepticism in his eyes. His expression was gravely serious as he looked at each person in the room. ‘A thousand years ago we had no choice but to close a rift, and we almost destroyed our world. Again, I believe we have no choice. If we do not permanently stop the Brakys from getting to the humans, our world is as good as dead.’
Rhyn was nodding as his father spoke, and Sloane assumed the two of them had already discussed their options in great detail. As his father finished speaking, Rhyn turned from him and looked at Elyx.
‘I will take a small group through the ravine to the rift near the Brakys’ lair and close it using the Oblivion Stone,’ said Rhyn. He glanced at Sloane as he spoke, causing her heart to beat faster as she realised she would be going with him.
‘Elyx, you will take a larger force through the rift to the human settlement and set up strong defences,’ Rhyn continued. ‘If the Brakys access the World of the Woods before we can close the rift, it will be up to you and the humans to stop them once and for all.’
‘Do we have enough warriors to stop the creatures if they attack with their full numbers?’ Elyx asked.
‘You will have all the human soldiers in the camp to fight with you,’ Rhyn replied.
‘Yes, but you saw how they fought before.’
Rhyn paused before he responded and looked at Sloane. ‘That is why we will be outfitting the humans with Unfaih weapons,’ he said. ‘And bullets coated in interitus.’
‘What?’ Sloane gasped, almost leaping out of her chair. ‘I thought you said that was too dangerous?’
Rhyn dug a hand into his pocket and tossed something onto the table. Sloane glanced down to find a silver bullet rolling across the table towards her. The metal casing had the same blue sheen to it as all the weapons and shields the Unfaih fought with.
‘You made the bullets…’ Sloane slowly took it in her hand and lifted it up to admire the work.
Rhyn grinned. ‘Someone pretty stubborn told me it was a good idea.’
She could still feel shock pulsing through her as she looked back at him. Why did he keep surprising her? She almost thought she’d be used to it by now.
Elyx looked like he wanted to object. ‘I thought that was a last resort,’ he said. He also glanced nervously in Vas’ direction as though he were expecting a reaction from the king. Vas didn’t seem surprised by Rhyn’s announcement though. He merely nodded in agreement.
Rhyn focused on his second. ‘I think we’ve reached that stage,’ he replied. ‘When the Brakys eventually attack, we will need to work with the humans to defeat them.’
‘I still don’t feel comfortable arming them with such dangerous weapons,’ Elyx argued. ‘How can we trust them not to turn on us once the battle is won?’
‘I know it’s a big leap of faith,’ Jack said, speaking up for the first time since he entered the room. He walked forwards so that he stood at the side of Sloane’s chair. ‘But I know it is one you will not regret. Our people may have fought each other, but the humans were tricked into thinking the Unfaih were the enemy. Now that they have seen the Brakys, and after you saved them from a massacre, they know who the real enemy is.’
‘The new leader does seem dedicated to working together…’ Elyx started, turning his attention to Jack. ‘But how can we know the rest of your people feel the same way?’
‘I have only spent a short time in the settlement since our battle, but the humans there look up to your people,’ Jack explained. ‘They wonder at your fighting abilities and are grateful for the Unfaih guards that stand watch over the camp as we speak. They know they cannot defeat the Brakys without you.’
All the eyes in the room were locked onto Jack as he spoke and Sloane found herself captivated by his words. She had never seen him speak so confidently.
‘But the Unfaih cannot hope to defeat the Brakys alone either. Humans may not be as strong or fast as your people, but if you give them weapons that are effective against the Brakys they will fight by your side until every last one of those creatures is lying in the dirt.’
Sloane reached out and grabbed Jack’s hand to give it a squeeze of
support. ‘He’s right,’ she said. ‘The people in that camp have seen what the Brakys can do, and they will fight with everything they have. You just need to give them a chance.’
She glanced at Rhyn, and she could have sworn there was a look of pride in his eyes as he looked back at her. Even Elyx had started to nod slowly in agreement.
‘Elyx,’ Rhyn said, facing his second. ‘I need you to ready every fighter we have. I want you to leave for the human camp as soon as you are ready.’
‘And I will be going with them,’ Vas said.
Rhyn faltered as he looked towards his father. ‘Are you sure that’s a good idea?’
‘I was there at the battle a thousand ago when we closed the rift and forced the Brakys into hiding,’ he answered. ‘I did not stand aside and watch my people fight then, and I will not do that now.’
Rhyn swallowed and nodded, though his eyes betrayed his discomfort at the thought of his father taking such a risk. ‘If you are going to insist on fighting, I cannot stop you.’
‘No, you can’t,’ Vas agreed.
Rhyn let out a breath and then settled his gaze on Sloane. ‘So that just leaves you and me,’ he said. ‘Be ready to leave at first light. We have a rift to close.’
Chapter Twenty-Three
The courtyard was cold and dark the following morning. The suns had not come up yet, but the place was filled with every able fighter in the Unfaih army as they waited for their next instructions.
Sloane stood beside Jack, who was rubbing his arms and blowing into his cold hands in an attempt to ward off the chill in the air. She certainly didn’t envy him and didn’t miss how much her once weak body used to be affected by the elements.
The two of them had spent the majority of the night helping the warriors prepare to leave. Sloane had searched the castellum for Rowe and Esther, but given the heavy snowfall, she assumed they were both still in the village with Orelle. She wanted to speak with her sisters before she left for the rift, but it didn’t look like she’d get a chance now.
‘Have you spoken to Rhyn this morning?’ Jack asked.
Sloane gave a slight shake of her head. She hadn’t talked with him since they left the king’s chambers the previous evening. She had caught glimpses of him during the night helping to prepare his warriors for war. But he was nowhere to be seen now, and she was slightly surprised he hadn’t made an appearance in the courtyard yet.
She had barely considered the Unfaih prince’s absence when he walked through the castellum doors with his father at his side. Though it was dark, Sloane’s keen eyesight enabled her to see them clearly. Rhyn’s face was filled with determination as he left the castellum and started towards the warriors amassed in the courtyard.
Heads turned and watched as Rhyn and his father marched past their army. They were such commanding presences that everyone fell silent as the two leaders approached. Rhyn and Vas stopped when they reached Elyx, who stood at the front of the Unfaih forces, and the three of them fell deep into discussion. Their expressions were solemn as they spoke, and Sloane strained to listen to what they were saying. She was too far back in the crowd of fighters to hear what it was though.
‘There you are,’ a voice said behind her.
Sloane turned and found Kai approaching through the crowd with Lorian at his side. The two of them looked exhausted, although she was hardly surprised that they too had experienced a sleepless night. The whole castellum had been buzzing with activity for hours, and she wasn’t sure if anyone had managed to rest during the evening.
‘Are you coming with us?’ Sloane asked Kai.
He nodded before glancing at Lorian. ‘Yes, we both are.’
Sloane frowned as she looked at the two of them. She didn’t want to be rude, but Lorian hardly appeared to have the stamina to trek for a day towards the rift. They needed to be stealthy to reach it without alerting the Brakys, and Sloane wasn't convinced the elder could keep up. If Rhyn had agreed to let him join them though, she wasn’t about to object.
Kai looked down into his hands and held out a small bunched-up piece of cloth to Sloane. She took the material, allowing the edges of it to fall back in her hand to reveal the Oblivion Stone. It was glowing brightly in the early morning light, and Kai had somehow managed to join the two fragments together. She could still see the fracture line between them, but they fused together perfectly.
‘Yeah, I’m probably going to need this,’ Sloane said, wrapping the stone up again. She wasn’t sure if it was even possible to achieve what they were setting out to do, and it made her nervous to know that so much rested on her shoulders. She was expected to attempt something that had never been done before.
She stared down at the covered stone and took a deep breath in. She could feel the stone’s energy buzzing through the material, and the sensation felt far stronger now that the two pieces were together once more. The stone still wasn't complete though, and there was no way to know if it was powerful enough to do what was needed.
‘I have every belief you can make this work,’ Kai responded as if he sensed her uncertainty. ‘You’ve more than proved you can use the stone to both absorb and project energy.’
Sloane snuck a glance at Lorian. ‘Is that why you’re coming too?’ she asked. ‘If I fail, you may have a chance.’
Lorian nodded solemnly. ‘I hope it doesn’t come to that,’ he replied.
‘Yeah, me too,’ Sloane muttered.
She let out a breath before tucking the stone safely in her pocket. Even through the material that separated her from it, Sloane could still feel the soft crackling of energy from the stone. The skin beneath her pocket tingled from the sensation, and she could almost sense a low humming sound in the back of her mind.
Sloane turned as Rhyn started to address the warriors assembled, his deep timbre resonating across the crowd as he spoke.
‘You all understand the danger we are facing,’ he said, speaking in Unfaih. ‘We are in our darkest times for a thousand years. If we want to survive, we need to join forces with those who were once our enemy so we can finally stop the evil that has threatened our existence for centuries.’
Rhyn’s eyes were filled with determination as he surveyed the rows of warriors before him. His strength was giving his fighters confidence, and Sloane could feel the mood in the crowd changing with every word that Rhyn spoke.
‘We are defending our home,’ Rhyn continued. ‘And we are protecting our way of life. The Brakys have taken peace from us for a millennium, and now they intend to annihilate our world. We will not allow this to happen.’
A cheer of support rang through the crowd. Sloane glanced around, wondering how many years the Unfaih fighters had been desperate to go after the Brakys. The creatures had haunted them for such a long time, but until now the Unfaih had never felt threatened enough to risk going after them.
‘I’m assuming Rhyn’s speech is a good one then?’ Jack joked in Sloane’s ear.
She glanced at Jack and raised a finger to her lips to indicate for him to be quiet. She was listening intently to Rhyn’s every word, and she turned back to watch him as he stood proudly in front of his warriors.
‘I will lead a group to close the rift and cut off the Brakys from the humans. Elyx will lead you through the rift to the World of the Woods,’ Rhyn said, his voice rising above the simmering crowd. ‘You will join the humans and defend their camp should the Brakys attack. We cannot allow the creatures to add to their ranks, and if they descend on the settlement, Unfaih and human will fight together to destroy the creatures once and for all.’
There was a rumble of discontent from some of the warriors standing near Sloane, but none uttered a word loud enough for Rhyn to hear.
‘What’s he saying?’ Jack asked. ‘Me speak only English, remember?’
‘He’s talking about fighting alongside the humans,’ Sloane explained. ‘And closing the rifts.’
Jack glanced around him at some of the warriors who were still muttering. ‘So that’s
what’s got them unhappy.’
‘Yeah, helping protect your enemy isn’t the easiest pill to swallow,’ Sloane responded.
‘And they can’t exactly be excited about the idea of closing a rift again,’ Jack added.
As Rhyn turned away from his fighters, Elyx took his place and started shouting orders to the warriors who would be following him through the rift to the human camp.
‘Do you need me to translate what Elyx is saying to the fighters going to Aeris?’ Sloane asked Jack.
He shook his head. ‘Nope, I’ll be sticking with you,’ he replied before pushing down a shudder. ‘I made a promise to myself to never enter that ravine again. I guess that didn’t last long.’
Sloane reached out a hand and gripped his shoulders. ‘You could go with Elyx and help the humans,’ she said.
‘No, I can’t,’ Jack replied. ‘I’ve heard about all the incredible things you’ve done with that stone, but closing the rift and opening another is something different entirely. I’m pretty certain you’re going to need all the help you can get.’
She laughed and shook her head at him. ‘Thanks, Jack. I’m pretty certain you’re right.’
‘Besides,’ he added. ‘Without me by your side, you might do something crazy, and we can’t have that.’
She shook her head at him and focused on the warriors preparing to leave. She could feel the pressure of what lay before her rising up in her chest again. If she failed to close the rift safely, it wouldn’t matter what happened with the Brakys because untold destruction could descend on the world of the Unfaih.
She didn’t want to think about how she was going to pull it off because there was every chance it wasn’t even possible. But as the Unfaih warriors started to disperse around her, following Elyx’s orders, some of them glanced at her with stern looks of concern. She knew they were all counting on her. She’d have to make it work—or there was no telling what state the Unfaih’s world would be left in.
The Rift War Page 25