The Strength to Serve (Echoes of Imara Book 3)

by Claire Frank

  Locked. Locked. We are imprisoned.

  Isley clenched her hands into fists. “Not for long.”

  66. ATTACK

  The dark gray clouds that had for days threatened rain finally fulfilled their promise, sending a light drizzle across the countryside as the army marched south. Cecily pulled her hood down to shield her face from the mist, as water droplets collected on her cloak. Although she was grateful for the use of a horse, she shifted in her saddle and tried to find a more comfortable position as it plodded along down the road.

  She glanced past Daro, riding next to her, to Pathius on his other side. Ever since Callum had told them of Rogan’s death, Pathius had been solemn. He rode in silence, the rain dripping off his blond hair, his eyes fixed ahead of them. A piece of her thought perhaps she should clear the air with Pathius, move past what he’d done in Caerven. He’d certainly proven to be true to his word since returning. But a sliver of doubt remained, and the death of the king called too many things into question.

  Looking ahead, she saw one of their scouts approaching. Alastair and Torbin turned their horses to the side of the road as the scout jogged up alongside them. Cecily followed Pathius and Daro as they drew next to the others, waiting to hear the scout’s report.

  The young man’s cheeks were flushed and his hair dripped water down his face. “General, my lords, my lady,” he said, nodding to everyone in turn. “Attalon has spotted our advance and is forming up to the north of the stronghold.”

  Alastair turned to Daro. “Why would they meet us on open ground when they have a defensible structure?”

  “Most of their archers and ranged weapons didn’t make it across the bridge,” Daro said. “They can hole up in the fortress, but they can’t do much damage to an attacking force. And they have no supplies. It wouldn’t take long for us to simply starve them out.”

  “It’s the smart move,” Pathius said. “Daro’s right, they can’t last long against a siege. They have superior numbers and will try to overwhelm our forces as quickly as possible.”

  “The ground slopes downward once we crest the small hill ahead,” the scout said. “So we’ll at least have the advantage of higher ground.”

  Alastair turned to Pathius and Daro. “Get the men ready. Archers at the back, Fire Wielders in front. Let’s see if we can even the odds a bit when they charge.”

  Pathius nodded and nudged his horse, moving ahead to arrange troop placement. Cecily held the reins and urged her horse forward to follow Daro, when Alastair spoke.

  “Cecily,” he said and she drew her horse to a stop. “I got an odd message from the Paragon before I left the city.”

  Cecily raised her eyebrows. “Oh?”

  “He said you’d been sent south at his behest to recover something that had been stolen from the Lyceum, but he expressed concerns over whether you could be fully trusted; he said that he has reason to believe you may be working against the best interests of the Lyceum. There was a lot of ingratiating language about ushering in a new era of cooperation between the crown and the Lyceum, but at its core, I think he was trying to implicate you in some sort of wrongdoing.”

  Cecily pursed her lips and looked away, wondering how to answer. Daro had moved out of earshot, but she wasn’t in a position to explain the entire situation to Alastair, especially on the brink of battle. “The Paragon and I don’t see eye to eye on something.” She paused again, choosing her words carefully. “He’s partially correct, but I suspect he left out the part about sending Wielders, ostensibly to help me, who would later attack me.”

  “Yes, he did manage to omit that detail,” Alastair said.

  “The Paragon and I have unfinished business,” Cecily said. “But I’m going to have to ask you to trust me on this. He’s dabbling with powers that are more dangerous than he knows, and I’m trying to prevent a potential catastrophe. I think Halthas should probably deal with one crisis at a time.”

  Alastair smiled. “Agreed. Just, be careful. The Paragon has worked very hard to change his reputation over the years, but I’d be wary of trusting him too far.”

  “Believe me, I know,” she said.

  Nudging her horse forward, she caught up with Daro as he moved through the massing troops. At the crest of the hill, they could see the Attalonian army forming up in the distance, the men marching in neat rows. Daro and Pathius helped Alastair direct the movement of their troops, lining up the archers while young men, little more than boys, darted through the mass carrying heavy bundles of arrows from the supply train. Fire Wielders carrying broad shields lined up in front, ready to strike when the opposing army closed enough distance. In between came the bulk of their force, men with shields and tall pikes, each topped with a razor sharp hook and a spike.

  Cecily dismounted and removed her cloak before strapping on her sword belt and adjusting her short blade. She handed the reins to a stable boy, who led the horse away. It was an animal trained for travel, not battle. Her heart began to beat faster as adrenaline surged through her veins. She’d always hated open combat. Daro’s infusion of energy would make her more effective on the battlefield, but she dreaded it just the same. Looking out at the faces of the gathering troops, she wondered if they were as scared as she was. Some of them looked it, as they fidgeted with their weapons and shifted on their feet. Others stood stoic, their faces impassive.

  Making her way through the forming lines, she found Daro conferring with Pathius behind the row of Fire Wielders. Pathius nodded and cast a quick glance at her before moving further down. She narrowed her eyes at his back as he walked away.

  “Is he acting strange, or am I looking for reasons to be suspicious?” she asked.

  Daro shot a quick look over his shoulder. “None of us are at our best right now.”

  “That’s true enough,” she said, wiping her sweaty palms on her pants. Her limbs were jittery with fear.

  “We’ll be okay,” he said, stepping toward her. He laid one hand across her cheek and the other on her arm. The now-familiar sensation of warmth poured into her, flowing through her body. Daro’s power tempered her fear, filling her with strength.

  “We stay together,” he said. “As soon as the armies meet, we’ll charge in with Pathius and Shale. Try to keep some distance between you and the enemy, but stay at my back. They may be an invasion machine, but they haven’t seen the likes of us.”

  Cecily took a deep breath as heat coursed through her. “Be careful,” she said. “If you die, I’m going to have to kill you.” Daro chuckled, and for a moment she let her fear slide away.

  A horn blast rang out across the plain, wrenching her back to reality. Fat drops of rain replaced the misty drizzle, and Cecily pushed her wet hair from her face as the others in their party formed up around her. Raed stood tall with his long spear at his side, flanked by his countrymen, Kentan and Leng. Merrick lined up with the archers in back, while Serv and Griff stood nearby, their faces sober and their weapons ready. Shale strode toward them on booming feet, covered in his armor of stone, his hands looking like hammers. Dashal would stay near the back, using his powerful Wielding to whip up wind in the midst of the other army. Callum had chosen to march south with them, but would stay clear of the fighting, working to manipulate the mood of the battle.

  Pathius stood in front, holding a spear, his long hair streaming in the wind. The pelting rain turned to ice around him, leaving a scattering of sparkling crystals on the ground. As the Attalonian army began their charge, the ground rumbled, and Pathius raised his spear and roared into the sky. The Halthian force responded, raising their voices in a hearty cry, cheering with each thrust of Pathius’s weapon. He turned back to the battlefield, holding his fist up as they waited for the enemy to come into range.

  “Fire!” Pathius called out, sweeping his spear forward, and the archers loosed, sending a swarm of arrows over their heads at the oncoming force.

  Cecily watched as the arrows seemed to hover in the air before turning downward and ripping through t
he Attalonians. Many bounced harmlessly off their tall shields, and their tight formation kept the bulk of their force safe. But some of the arrows found cracks and unprotected gaps, and the archers prepared for their next volley.

  “Fire!” Pathius called again, his voice carrying above the din.

  More arrows streamed across the plain as the Halthian archers fired in a rhythm, loosing death on the approaching army.

  “Archers, fire at will!” Pathius said. “Wielders!”

  The Attalonians drew closer, closing the distance through the muddy grass as more arrows tore through their ranks. The Fire Wielders stood ready, awaiting Pathius’s order. Cecily clenched and unclenched her fists, bobbing up onto the balls of her feet, the energy coursing through her and the anticipation of the coming fight making it impossible to stand still.

  “Burn them!” Pathius shouted, raising his spear once again, and shots of fire burst from the front lines, scorching the first wave of Attalonians. Screams filled the air as their shields heated and clothing caught fire, the burning men falling to the ground. Heat from the Fire Wielders’ attacks blew back and Dashal’s wind blasted the incoming troops. As they charged closer, Cecily could see their faces, eyes narrowed and mouths twisted into snarls.

  Daro drew his two massive Thayan swords. The one he always kept wrapped glowed a brilliant blue with sparks of lightning dancing across the blade. He gave her a devilish smile as he whipped his weapons around in an arc and gestured with a nod for her to get behind him. She stepped back as the inferno raged, the Fire Wielders pouring flames across the gap. The Attalonians charged, trampling over the fallen as they closed in on the Halthian lines.

  The armies smashed into each other like waves breaking, and the air filled with the sound of clashing weapons and grunts of pain. Cecily unleashed her Reach on the men nearest to her, coiling it around their bodies and hurling them aside as Daro plowed forward, his blades cutting through their attackers.

  A spear sliced toward her but she gripped it with a curl of Wielding energy, ripped it from the soldier’s grasp, and caught it. With her other hand, she strangled the now weaponless man with Pressure until he dropped his shield, clutching at his throat. Lunging forward, she plunged the spear into his neck and let go of the shaft, leaving the weapon protruding from his body as he fell.

  With a sweep of her Reach, she tripped an incoming attacker, tearing his legs out from under him so he crashed to the ground in a heap. Daro rammed his glowing blue sword through the man’s back as Cecily hit another soldier with a heavy Push, driving him backward.

  Shale fought nearby, pounding men into the ground with his stone-covered arms. A spearman stabbed at him, but the tip glanced off Shale’s armor and Shale returned the favor by smashing the side of the spearman’s helm with a heavy blow.

  Cecily’s Reach wrapped around weapons, smashed into chests, and grasped at throats as Daro’s power coursed through her. She deflected an incoming spear, sweeping it aside, and wrapped her Reach around the soldier’s chest. Squeezing him with Pressure, she dented his armor, driving the metal deep, and he toppled to the ground.

  The smell of death and slick red blood was stifling, making Cecily gag as she blocked another weapon inches from Daro. His blades punched through armor and sliced into flesh, pushing them forward through the Attalonian lines. She’d lost track of the others in the melee, but caught a glimpse of Pathius nearby, blocking attacks with his spear as he dropped men, one after another, their bodies frozen stiff before they hit the ground.

  The heat from a Fire Wielder’s blast radiated against Cecily’s back, and she glanced over her shoulder. Four Attalonians, dressed in light armor with cowls over their heads, swarmed over the Wielder, roping her arms with looped cords that were fixed on the ends of long poles. They pulled them tight, spreading her arms wide while another bound her by the neck from behind. As they ripped her to the ground, she kicked and thrashed, but the fourth leapt in, clamping black bracers on both of her arms. In mere seconds it was over, and they dragged her limp form across the ground.

  Rage tore through Cecily and she launched her Reach, grabbing two of the men by their throats. Daro’s power flowed through her, adding strength to her Wield, and she crushed their airways with a massive squeeze of Pressure. Letting go of her hold, she lashed at the other two, wrapping her energy around them like a whip, and smashed them into each other. They dropped like sacks of grain, and as she stalked toward them she drew her sword, then plunged it through each of their chests as they lay on the ground.

  Kneeling in front of the Wielder, she picked up her arms and ran her fingers along the bracers. They were similar to what they’d clamped on Daro, so she knew she couldn’t pull them off. The woman looked drugged, blinking at her with heavy lids as Cecily pulled the coil of rope from around her neck.

  An Attalonian charged toward them and Cecily knocked him aside with a Push. She stood and cast about the battlefield until she found who she was looking for.

  “Pathius!” she called out, shouting to be heard above the clamor.

  He turned and ran toward them, still holding his spear. His clothes were soaked with rain and mud, blood splattered across his chest.

  “Can you get these off?” Cecily asked, pointing to the Fire Wielder’s arms.

  Two more soldiers rushed in to attack and she wrenched the spear from one as Pathius dropped the other. The spear flew into her hand and she hurled it straight back. Using her Reach to guide it true, she plunged the spear through the gap in the attacker’s helm, driving it through his face.

  Pathius glanced at Cecily with a raised eyebrow as the attacker fell, then turned back to the Wielder. He crouched beside her, and as he gripped the bracers they crusted over with frost. The woman winced, but Pathius held on, turning them a dull gray. They helped her sit up and quickly smashed the shackles against a rock, breaking the brittle metal.

  Cecily helped her to her feet and flagged down another Halthian. “Get her to the back.” The soldier nodded and led the woman away.

  Finding herself in a break in the fighting, Cecily pushed her dripping hair from her face and looked for Daro. Through the sheets of rain, she saw him pull his sword from a fallen attacker. His eyes met hers as he looked up, and he strode over to her.

  He was covered in spatters of mud mixed with blood, but none of it appeared to be his own. His eyes were bright silver in the gray daylight, and she could almost feel the energy coursing through him.

  “Are you okay?” Daro asked.

  “Yes,” Cecily said as she picked up her sword from the ground and sheathed it. “You?”

  Daro nodded as Pathius signaled for Raed and the other Imarans. They jogged over, spears in hand, their long hair streaming water.

  “They’re trying to capture Wielders,” she said. “They had those bracers on one of the Fire Wielders and were dragging her away.”

  “We will stop this,” Raed said.

  Cecily looked up at the tall Imaran. “Be careful. They attacked in a group of four.”

  One corner of Raed’s mouth lifted in a smile. “They came here ready to fight Halthians, not Imarans.” With a nod to Kentan and Leng, he led them back toward the fighting.

  “Good,” Daro said and his eyes moved to Pathius. “What?”

  Pathius stared eastward, looking toward the heart of the battle. Raising his hand, he pointed.

  “Axxus,” Daro said.

  Cecily narrowed her eyes; through the gloom, she saw a hulking warrior in wicked black armor. His huge spear raced out on a retractable chain, ripping through men and surging back to his hand.

  “The one from the bridge,” Cecily said.

  “There’s something very wrong with him,” Daro said. “I can’t See his energy.”

  “He’s either a walking corpse, or it has something to do with his armor,” Pathius said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  Shale jogged over, the ground shaking beneath his heavy strides. “Are we winning yet?” he asked, his vo
ice breathless.

  “We need to end him,” Daro said, nodding toward Axxus.

  Cecily watched the black-armored warrior cut through the Halthian soldiers. A jolt of fire shot toward him, but it seemed to glide off the surface of his armor without slowing him down.

  Taking a deep breath, she looked at Daro. “Let’s go, then.”

  67. AXXUS

  Adjusting the grip on his swords, Daro stalked forward across the battlefield, Cecily at his side. Axxus tore through the center of the fighting, his spear whipping out to impale his enemies, then retracting into his grip as he bashed men aside with his huge shield. Watching the energy of the battle ebb and flow, Daro could see its heart, as if it were a living thing. It all centered on Axxus.

  Cecily’s Reach shot out in front of him to knock men aside as they cut through the struggle in a straight line. Shale’s heavy blows bashed against shields and dented armor, while Pathius drained the life of one man after another. Daro led the way, his Heorun swords in each hand, slicing and smashing as they moved through the driving rain.

  Axxus’s black armor seemed to suck up the light around him. The only evidence of life Daro could see was a thin trail of red, leading away from his back. It was a flow of energy, but one Daro didn’t understand, and the way it disappeared into the warrior’s armor reminded Daro of a great maw, sucking and feeding on the life around it.

  “Watch his spear,” Daro said as they drew closer. “He’s fast, and my Imaran Sight doesn’t do me any good against him.” A soldier charged in and Cecily threw him back with a Push. “Try for the weak spots in his armor.”

  Men in black mail with cowls over their heads encircled Axxus, the ground around them littered with bodies. Daro stepped forward, flanked by Cecily and Pathius, with Shale on the far side.

  “You again,” Axxus said. “I was hoping I would see you. I should have killed you before.”

  Daro wasn’t interested in talking. Without a word, he charged, as Cecily’s Reach flashed toward Axxus. Her blue tendrils of energy bounced off Axxus’s armor, and Pathius roared in frustration behind Daro. Daro’s swords sliced through the air, but Axxus’s spear was there to deflect his blows, the weapon moving fast. Axxus bashed Daro with his shield as his spear shot out toward Cecily. Pushing back, Daro struck, and his blade glanced off the black armor.