The Strength to Serve (Echoes of Imara Book 3)

by Claire Frank

  Katalis burned in his hand, the blade bright as it flashed through the rain. He risked a quick glance at Cecily. The spear strike had missed, and the weapon flew back to Axxus’s hand.

  “I can’t get a grip on him,” she said, shouting above the din.

  “Neither can I,” Pathius said as he marched forward, his hands around the shaft of his own spear.

  Daro blocked Axxus’s next strike, the blow reverberating through his limbs as Pathius attacked from the other side. Shale closed in, his arms looking like stone hammers, as a streak of blue sent Axxus’s spear wide. It missed, rushing past Daro, and he stepped in with two swift cuts. The blade in his left hand slid off the armor, but Katalis left a silver scratch in the dark metal.

  Axxus knocked Shale to his back with a blow from his shield, and his spear spun to lash at Pathius. Daro attacked while Pathius deflected, but Axxus’s weapon shot out, blocking his assault. Shale surged to his feet and battered Axxus from behind, making the warrior stumble as Daro lunged. Saturating himself with energy, Daro struck, his blows glancing hard off the surface of Axxus’s shield.

  Shale attacked again, his blow ringing against Axxus’s back. The warrior roared as he spun, his spear whipping around. The blade came down in a flash, slicing clean through Shale’s rock covered arm, severing it above the elbow. Blood spurted from the wound as Shale staggered backward, his eyes wide with shock.

  Anger flooded through Daro as Shale fell to his knees and Axxus readied his spear for the stroke that would end him. Cecily’s Reach darted out, coiling around the shaft of the spear, and pulled his arm wide before he could strike. With gritted teeth, Daro lunged through the mud, his blades flashing in the rain, but Axxus blocked with his wide shield and wrenched his weapon from Cecily’s grasp.

  Pathius ran to Shale as the stone armor fell from his body and Axxus’s spear shot through the air toward Cecily. She deflected it with a Push, and Daro attacked, trying to drive Axxus away from Shale. Pressing his assault, Daro struck with fury, sparks flying from Katalis with each hit. Power flowed into the weapon, pushing him onward as if it had an insatiable hunger. No matter how fast Daro moved, Axxus was there, his spear like a streak of light.

  Cecily’s attack turned Axxus’s weapon aside and Daro thrust for the gap in his armor. Katalis scraped across the metal, sparks flying, but the blade wouldn’t penetrate, and Axxus smashed Daro with his shield. Staggering backward, Daro sloshed through the mud as he tried to regain his footing.

  As Axxus turned, his spear shot toward Cecily, and Daro saw the red stream of energy snaking its way into the warrior’s back. It moved in only one direction, flowing into Axxus, like hundreds of veins pulsing with blood.

  “There’s something on his back,” Daro called out, pitching his voice to be heard.

  With her Wielding energy wrapped around the spear, Cecily struggled to wrest the weapon from Axxus’s grasp. He hurled his arm back, his hand outstretched. As he broke her Wield, the spear retracted along its chain with a swish.

  Daro risked a quick glance at Shale. He lay on his back with his eyes closed as Pathius worked on his injury, freezing the stump of his arm so he wouldn’t bleed out.

  Cecily shrieked as a rope slipped around her neck, jerking her backward. Axxus’s spear launched for Daro and he knocked it aside with one blade as he attacked with the other. From the corner of his eye, he saw several men swarm over his wife, snaring her arms and pulling her down to the ground. Axxus lunged, jabbing with his spear, his attack so rapid it took both Daro’s swords to defend against it.

  “Cecily!” he called as he fought, panic seizing him. He lashed out at Axxus, his swords flashing. One of Cecily’s attackers straddled over the top of her, black bracers in his hand. The man froze in place, a hand still outstretched to grab Cecily’s arm, and toppled to the ground, stiff. Daro deflected another spear thrust as the blue streaks of Cecily’s Reach whipped out, wrapping around the throats of the other two men, and she roared as their heads flopped back, their bodies crumpling to the ground.

  Axxus snarled as he thrust his shield in an arc, slamming it against Daro’s head and shoulder. Lights danced across Daro’s vision, and his balance faltered. Saturating himself with energy, he felt his body harden, and he rammed into Axxus, pushing him back. His mind swirled with chaos as he let power flood through him, pushing the boundaries of his control.

  With a heave, Axxus knocked Daro away and launched his weapon. It glanced off Katalis as Daro deflected with a swipe, and Pathius charged in, lunging with his spear. Cecily hurled her Reach into the back of Axxus’s shield and ripped it from his grasp. Gripping his spear with both hands, Axxus charged at Pathius as his shield toppled to the ground. Shards of ice burst into the air as their weapons met, Axxus driving Pathius relentlessly back.

  The spear shot toward Cecily and a shock tore through their bond. Her pain and fear rushed into him, and he knew she was hit before he could see her. She stumbled and fell to her knees, clutching one hand around her other arm as more hooded Attalonians swarmed toward her.

  Rage burned through Daro and a wordless call buffeted his mind. Katalis. The sword shimmered with power, glowing blue in his hand. It was as if the sword craved more power, more death. As Pathius faltered, stumbling back against the onslaught of Axxus’s attack, and Cecily struggled to regain her feet, clutching her wound, Daro gave the blade what it wanted.

  Opening himself to its power, he flooded it with energy, feeling the searing heat build. Katalis seemed to sing, and the rain sizzled off the metal with bursts of steam. A brilliant bolt of lightning tore from the sky, crashing into the ground at his feet, the impact knocking Cecily and Pathius away. The clap of thunder was deafening as Daro pointed his blade. The Attalonians surrounding Axxus burst apart as the shockwave hit, and the dark-armored warrior flew back, landing hard in the mud.

  Daro’s heart thundered with the power he held as he stalked toward Axxus. The warrior struggled to his feet as Daro brought Katalis around and struck Axxus from behind, aiming for the red trail of energy feeding into his back. A sharp burst of sound thundered across the battlefield as the sword hit the black armor.

  Fighting for control, Daro pushed back the thrill of ecstasy and took heaving breaths, blinking hard. The flow of red energy pouring into Axxus faltered, flickering like a candle flame in a breeze. He pushed himself up and turned, still clutching his spear, eyes wide and teeth bared. Daro hit him again, smashing into the black plate. Axxus staggered, but countered with his weapon as Daro redoubled his assault, striking with both swords. Sparks flew with each hit as Katalis connected, driving the warrior back.

  Daro pulled Katalis back to strike the killing blow but Axxus spun, launching the spear, and it plunged into his gut. He halted in his tracks, looking down with disbelief. The spear stuck straight through him, just below the ribs. For a brief moment, he felt nothing, his mind not yet registering the grievous wound. Then the pain hit him like a bolt of lightning, driving the air from his lungs. He gasped, seeing his life energy pour out like a waterfall, tasting blood in his mouth. Vaguely, he heard Cecily scream.

  Dropping the sword from his left hand, Daro clutched the spear as Axxus tried to retract it on its chain. With a growl, Axxus lurched forward, grabbing the shaft of the spear as he smashed Daro across the face, but Daro held fast with his blood-soaked hand. Daro’s face swung back to Axxus, black spots dancing across his vision, and the warrior hit him again. Axxus kept his grip on the spear as he raised an arm to strike again.

  Holding the spear in place, Daro rammed Katalis upward, beneath Axxus’s raised arm. His blade slid through the space between the armor plates and Axxus’s eyes widened as Daro thrust it through. It punched through the other side, scraping against the inside of Axxus’s breastplate as blood bubbled from his mouth. He gasped a choking breath, his lungs making a wet gurgling sound as he tried to breathe. Daro heaved with all his strength, ripping the sword through Axxus’s chest. It pulled free, cutting through flesh and bone, and the bre
astplate popped open and fell to the ground. Blood gushed from the wide gash in Axxus’s chest and his eyes turned glassy as he fell backward, landing hard on his back.

  A cold numbness stole through Daro as he looked down at the thick spear sticking out of his gut. His vision was blurry, and he tried to swallow against a thick feeling in his throat as the rain mixed with his blood. He took a step forward; his legs wobbled and a gentle pressure wrapped around him, keeping him from falling. Blinking as darkness crept along the edges of his vision, he heard Cecily speaking to him in a soft voice. She seemed far away, and he couldn’t make out the words, but the reassuring warmth of her presence dulled the throbbing pain.

  His knees hit the ground and he tried to drop Katalis, but his hand wouldn’t respond. The weapon still burned with a searing heat, flooding through him with a steady pulse of energy. For a moment, he wondered what would happen to the sword when he died. There was nothing he could do about it now. He would have to trust that Cecily would keep it safely away from the wrong hands.

  More words drifted in and out of his hearing, but he was too tired. As he felt himself drift backward, blackness overtaking his vision, he felt a stab of guilt for leaving his wife. His body shuddered as he tried to take a breath, and he realized that this was the only way he would get the peace he had wanted so badly.

  68. DARK ARMOR

  Pathius gaped at the spear protruding from Daro as Cecily helped lower the big man to the ground and knelt beside him. Blood seeped from the wound; the weapon still stuck straight out from his gut. Cecily’s lips trembled and her hand shook as she reached toward the spear.

  “No,” she said, her voice nothing but a whisper. “No, no, no.”

  Tears trailed down her face and she shook her head, still whispering. Her eyes lifted. “Oh gods, I can feel him dying.” She touched his chest and tilted her head to the side. “Daro, I’m so sorry. I don’t know how to save you from this.” Her eyes closed and her body shuddered. “Please don’t leave me.”

  Dropping to his knees, Pathius looked at the wound. Daro would bleed out in seconds once they removed the spear, but he had no chance if they left it in.

  “When I say ‘now,’ pull out the spear,” Pathius said.

  Cecily’s face snapped to his, her eyes wide. “What?”

  “Pull it out, then use your Wielding to hold him together. Help me stop the bleeding.”

  “I’m no healer.”

  “Neither am I, but he’s going to die. Pull it out. Ready? Now.”

  Cecily gripped the shaft with one hand and yanked it free, then let the weapon drop and held her hands above the wound. Blood poured out, but Pathius froze the walls of the gash, and the bleeding stopped. Closing his eyes, Pathius felt the streams of energy flowing through Daro. He could sense Cecily’s Reach pressing against the wound, and Daro’s heart still beating in a faint rhythm, but it was slowing. His power seemed to seep away, dripping from the hole and leaking out as if it sought to return to the ground. The sword in his grip was still hot with energy, and a trail of its power flowed into Daro.

  Swallowing hard, Pathius raised his hands above Daro’s body and tried to manipulate the complicated web of living energy inside him. Where it tried to spill out, Pathius coaxed it back in. He moved the streams, turning them over each other in an overlapping pattern, and wove them tight. Probing the wound, he could feel the frozen flesh, but a weak trickle of energy circulated through the gash. It felt different than the others, a layer of warmth running through Daro’s torn body. Pathius urged it on, feeding it with a fresh flow of power. The heat built, spreading out from the wound, and Daro’s heartbeat strengthened.

  He sat back and looked at Daro’s face. His skin was ashen and his eyes were still closed. “I don’t know if that’s enough, but I did what I could.”

  Cecily bit her lip and laid a trembling hand on Daro as his chest rose and fell in a gentle rhythm. Rain dripped through her tangled hair and made rivulets through the mud on her skin and clothes, and Pathius realized there was blood running down her arm.

  “Cecily, you’re bleeding,” he said and hurried over to crouch next to her. He hadn’t noticed she was holding one arm tucked close to her body, and he found a wide tear in her chainmail. She winced as he pulled it aside. A deep gash tore through her shoulder, still bleeding freely.

  She stared down at her arm as if only now realizing she was injured. Pathius didn’t have anything to stop the bleeding and he didn’t want to freeze the flesh of her arm if he didn’t have to. Looking up, he saw Raed and the other Imarans jogging over to them.

  “We need Serum Shapers,” Pathius said, nodding to Daro. “Shale needs help too.”

  “We’ll go,” Kentan said, and he and Leng ran off to find healers.

  “She’s hurt,” Pathius said. “Do you have something to stop the bleeding?”

  Raed knelt down beside her, casting a glance at Daro. From inside his shirt, he pulled out a folded cloth and wadded it up, then moved aside her chainmail and pressed it into the wound.

  “What has happened to Daro?” Raed asked.

  “Took a spear to the gut,” Pathius said. “Can you tell if he’ll live?”

  Raed studied Daro’s body; Cecily’s eyes locked on him as she held the cloth to her shoulder. “It is difficult to say.”

  Glancing around, Pathius realized the fighting had stopped. “What’s going on? Did Attalon retreat?”

  “Much of the fighting came to a halt when we heard the sound of thunder and the bright flash as Daro fought that one,” Raed said, nodding toward Axxus. “Halthas was putting up a brave fight, and when the black warrior went down, Attalon scattered.”

  Pathius looked over at Axxus’s body and wrinkled his nose. A wide gouge split his chest open, and his limbs were splayed at awkward angles. The breastplate of his armor had come free, and the clothes beneath were soaked in blood. There was still something disconcerting about him, although Pathius couldn’t explain what it was. Even for a corpse, he felt wrong.

  Raed’s eyes moved to Axxus and his face contorted in a look of disgust. “This is a loathsome thing. He feeds on the life energy of others.”

  “Feeds on the life energy of others?” Pathius asked. “Is that why our Wielding couldn’t touch him?”

  “That I do not know,” Raed said. “But something still feeds him now.”

  “Still?” Pathius asked. “But he’s dead.”

  As if Axxus had heard him speak, he twitched, a violent jerk that rippled through his broken body. Pathius and Raed slowly got to their feet, watching the warrior as he lay on the ground.

  Cecily stood, cradling her injured arm, and backed away. “Is he moving?”

  One arm rotated back into place with a sickening crunch and Pathius recoiled. The wound in Axxus’s chest moved, the edges writhing like tiny worms as they reached for each other, and the flesh began to knit together at each end of the gash. His legs twisted, bending back into their normal positions, and his eyeballs circled beneath half closed lids.

  “What is that?” Pathius asked.

  Raed shook his head, his mouth open, as they watched the body contort. Pathius’s stomach lurched as Axxus’s head turned with the sound of bone grinding, and his eyes flew open. With the wound in his chest still closing, he yanked the spear back into his hand and lifted his head.

  Pathius gasped and reached a hand toward the fallen warrior. With a violent tug, he ripped the energy from Axxus in a great rush. Ice spread out from his chest as his blood froze and his skin turned blue as he stiffened. With a pounding heart, Pathius kept Absorbing, tearing every last shred of energy from his body. Axxus withered, the ice on his flesh cracking as his body shrunk, turning gray and shriveled as Pathius took it all.

  His chest heaving, Pathius stopped, still staring at the frozen husk. Power swirled through him, as did a disturbing sense of corruption, and he knew he’d taken too much. He felt befouled, filled with energy that was somehow spoiled, unclean. Raed had said Axxus fed off the life
energy of others, and somehow Pathius knew that to be true.

  The withered corpse turned to dust, melting away in the rain as Pathius pulled the pieces of armor away. He picked up the breastplate, but it didn’t have what he was looking for, and he let it drop to the ground. Grabbing the backplate, he ran his fingers over the surface and found a piece of red stone embedded in the center near the neck, surrounded by a ring of gold. The stone was cracked, nearly in half, and the gold had a deep gouge torn through it.

  “What have you found?” Raed asked.

  Pathius held it up. “Do you know what this is?”

  Raed came over to inspect the armor. “It reminds me of Arcstone, but I am not familiar with this.”

  “I think this is how he was getting his power,” Pathius said. The odd sense of foulness was dissipating, but he still felt as if he carried something of Axxus’s tainted energy within him, like a bad taste in the mouth after eating something spoiled.

  Kentan and Leng returned with Serum Shapers. Two set to work on Daro, with Cecily hovering close by, and another tended to Shale. The rest of their company drifted over, most sporting bandages. Serv, walking with a slight limp, pulled Cecily away to make sure someone tended to her wound. Griff, Merrick, and the Imarans helped lift Daro onto a litter, then carried him away toward a set of tents nearby. When the Serum Shaper had finished with Cecily, she rushed off to follow her husband.

  As the battlefield cleared, the rain abated. Men and women helped the wounded to the Serum tents as soldiers walked through the bodies littered across the ground, delivering killing blows to any Attalonians who still drew breath. Quiet settled across the plain as the screams and cries of the wounded were silenced.