“Well spoken, my King,” said Qleyse. Maya smiled reassuringly at me and sat back down, as did I. “Now, before we continue…”
Before he could finish, the main door was blown open by a heavy blast of wind as the five teachers stormed in, followed by one extremely pissed off Higs.
“For the last time, you are not allowed in here…” His voice died away abruptly as he eyed the room packed to the brim with armor and weapons. Spotting us on the thrones, he bowed. “I’m sorry, Sir Alex; I tried to stop them…” Higs looked around at the mass of warriors nervously. “Umm, I’ll just wait outside then.”
“Higs, wait. You should stay, and we will need you after this,” Maya shouted so he could hear all the way in the back. Reluctantly, the guard captain found an out-of-the-way place next to the door to wait.
The teachers, on the other hand, seemed too stupid or headstrong to be intimidated by the sight. After a few seconds of looking around, they mustered their courage and continued to move forward. When they were about twenty feet away from us, Qleyse held up his hand for them to stop. “That’s close enough; speak your mind.”
“Shut up, our business is with them, not you! We demand… Wait, is that dark elf on the throne, too? You have a dark elf trollop as a Queen over wizards? This will not be tolerated!”
Many things happened all at once. First, the two heavily-armored men beside us moved directly in front of us and lowered their spears at the wizards. Second, every archer in the place instantly had an arrow trained on the intruders. And last, but pretty much still simultaneously, Ebony and four other Iron Maidens shield-bashed the wizards to the ground. In less than a blink, Ebony had her sword drawn and aimed at the outspoken one’s neck with a heavy boot on his chest.
“Would you like them executed, my Queen?”
Reluctantly, Maya sighed and thought about it for twenty seconds or so. While she was making up her mind, I stood up, folded my wings in, and walked down to where Ebony had the ringleader pinned. Looking down at him, I remarked, “Before you five open your mouths any further, I suggest you go back to your quarters and have a long discussion with the air and water students who made the original journey with us to this place. Hons and Alera would be good to visit with as well, to give you a better understanding of how things work around here. I can see no reason why the Wind and Water Towers shouldn’t blend in just fine, and yes, we will retake Xarparion soon with or without your help,” I paused and looked all five in the eyes.
“But I warn you, there are going to be some fundamental changes made in the school. The isolation of the towers and the mentality that this tower is better than another tower is a thing of the past. If you haven’t heard the story of what happened to the Fire Tower and where their hubris got them, then I suggest you ask someone. Headmaster Rosa will be happy to fill you in on the changes when you are ready to truly listen. In the end, if you are still discontented, you are, of course, free to leave.”
“Fine,” the air wizard leader under Ebony’s boot grated, “open us up a portal to Anshea, Elcanse, or even Ocanse, and we will leave tonight!”
“Tempting, but no. If you decide to leave Sky Raven, it will be on foot. In case you haven’t heard, Ocanse has fallen; and the kingdoms of Anshea and Elcanse are already destabilized enough trying to fight off the undead and deal with all the refugees that are pouring into their lands. I will not loose upon them a small army of snotty, self-indulgent, undisciplined wizards to play kingmaker at their expense.” Ending the conversation, I returned to my seat. I saw Qleyse nodding with approval as I turned and sat.
Ebony looked expectantly at Maya. “My Queen?”
Maya stood up and shrugged. “Release them; it’s possible a few of them may yet be salvaged.”
Ebony glared at the frightened man. “You should thank her on your knees for your life. But know this; if you ever challenge my King or Queen again, neither I nor anyone of us will hesitate to put a blade, arrow or spear though your chest. Do I make myself clear?” The man nodded repeatedly. “Good, now leave and think better of your actions in the future.”
The wizards quickly got to their feet and slunk out the door. I had a feeling we wouldn’t have any more trouble from them. Qleyse cleared his throat. “Well, if that rude interruption is over, I believe we all have things to take care of; correct, Captains?”
The dwarf stepped forward. “With all due respect, we’ve been standing here far too long. My men and I will get our gear unloaded and actually give this fortress back its teeth.” The dwarf smirked, showing some teeth of his own. “All of its teeth. I think you will find that this place is not what you think it is.” With that, he and his men broke ranks and headed deeper into the keep.
The servants all bowed again and took their own leave. Some returned within seconds and were already starting to sweep out the main hall. I really had no idea where they were all going; the keep doesn’t really have that many rooms…that I know of anyways.
This left the Iron Maidens, tempests, and archers standing in the room. The one called Ebony stepped forward once again. “Unless you have need of us, we will return to our posts and familiarize ourselves with the current guard force.” She turned to Higs who was still by the door. “I promise we will be very accepting of your men and will not interfere with them until our two groups learn more about each other.” Higs nodded weakly as the remainder of the troops filed out of the main hall, except for the two huge guards at either side of our thrones.
“Ebony, if you will please stay,” Qleyse asked quietly. She stopped and returned to her place.
By this point, I could already hear shouts from outside; no doubt people thought there was some kind of invasion. Higs, on the other hand, saw the opportunity and approached us cautiously.
“Alright, I’ve seen more than my share of crazy from being around you two, but this tops it all! How did a golden army show up in the middle of the fortress without anyone seeing them? And who the hell are they anyway?”
“Trust us, Higs; we need some answers as well,” Maya said tiredly.
Qleyse spoke up, “And I would be honored to explain everything to you; but if you will only wait a few more moments, many of your friends are on their way and will be joining us soon.”
For what seemed like the hundredth time today, Maya and I looked at each other in confusion. But as the man said, a few minutes later Rosa with Nia on her shoulder, Alera, Hons, the druid trio, and even the twins were escorted in by a few of Winya’s girls. Rosa actually looked very happy at their presence; Hons just looked worn out. Alera was trying to take in all the sights of the golden warriors at once and beamed brightly, and Dusk and Dawn just looked bored. Of course, Jules, Lin, and Ryliss were rubber-necking every which way, gawking at the Iron Maidens and the throne sentinels. Lin was so engrossed that she ran right into the doorframe coming in and whacked herself a good one. She fell backward in surprise, only to be caught deftly by the golden warrior behind her who snickered softly as she stood her back up.
They gathered in awe around Ebony, who was standing at attention, until Maya motioned for them all to come closer. My wings were still retracted, so I got up and sat down on the top step of the throne dais. I hoped that this would make everyone more comfortable in an uncomfortable situation. To my surprise, Qleyse didn’t look in the least shocked by my actions, as I guessed a castellan or castle steward would be. From what little I knew about them from reading Rosa’s books, I always imagined them to be stuffy paper pushers and prudish sticklers for convention. I did remember a footnote that a good castellan was highly prized in any kingdom, however. My mental review of history books was interrupted by my now wingless mate sliding in next to me. I stretched my arm around her back to hold her comfortably. Qleyse smiled warmly and then made a motion to one of the nearby staff before sitting down on one of the lower steps himself.
Rosa joined us on the top step, Alera and Hons sat on a middle step, and the rest either knelt or sat on the floor in a fan shape around us.
To add even more to my surprise, the Iron Maiden who had snickered at Lin’s running into the door frame, returned with a clean cloth and bowl of water. Kneeling down, she removed her helmet and turned Lin’s face to her. “Let’s take a look at that.” She then dipped the cloth in the water and expertly cleaned the blood off Lin’s face with the gentle care of a mother. “I used to have a daughter just like you; she had your same eyes and your beautiful smile.”
Lin was obviously sort of uncomfortable with an armored golden woman caring for her like she was a little girl, but she stayed polite. “Used to? I’m sorry for your loss.”
The guard smiled wider. “Don’t be. She lived a long and happy life to a ripe old age. Remember, I died over four hundred years ago. That’s a long time, even for your kind, Lin.”
“How do you know our names? And what do you mean; you died four hundred years ago?”
Her expression saddened slightly. “I’m sorry, I forget sometimes. Captain Ebony will explain it to you more; but if you ever need someone to talk to, come find me. I will always listen, young one.” With that, she collected her things and left the main hall.
“That was Tammy; she is the mama bear of the unit. She was always a sweetheart and a devoted mother. The girls could always go to her for help or comfort,” Winya supplied nostalgically.
“So can someone finally tell me what is going on now?” asked Higs as he settled in on one of the lower steps. Dusk slid in on the next step down in front of him so he could wrap his arms around her, and he did so without thinking.
“It’s simple really,” started Ebony. “We are the Comets’ personal guard.”
“Comets? Alex and Maya are now Comets?” asked Hons.
“That is their rank, yes,” said Qleyse, as he waived over some golden serving girls who had brought in trays of wine-filled goblets. They started with Maya and me, and then began passing them out to the group.
“Ok, so why are you here and where did you all come from?” asked Higs.
Ebony answered, “We came from times long ago. Each and every one of us has lived and died already, most of us within these very walls. The crystal below took in our souls and sheltered us, offering us a second chance. All of us that you saw before in this room accepted that offer for a second chance. For the dwarves, elves, and the others, their reasons vary. Some are looking for redemption; others, the thrill of battle. For some, the motive is as simple as the love of being part of a greater whole. But our reason was always the same.” She turned to Maya and gave a warrior’s salute. “When we watched you the day Winya swore herself to you, to a woman, we knew that we couldn’t let her fight this battle alone. That very moment, all of us accepted the crystal’s offer and joined the ranks of your guard. That day might not have seemed like too long ago here in this lifetime, but time in the afterlife doesn’t hold much meaning. The crystal built us an exact copy of this place as we requested. And we trained, and trained, and trained for what seemed like years for this day. We know a war is coming, and we are ready to fight it side-by-side with you. You may call us your Helios guard.”
Qleyse continued for her, “We understand that most of your current guards and a large number of the people here will one day return to the school. We are here to assure that Sky Raven is never understaffed and that the fortress returns to its former glory and strikes fear into the heart of evil as it was designed to do.”
“Speaking of evil…” There was a bright flash, and my mother and father finally showed themselves. Both of them looked stressed and wan. “We have distressing news.”
Instinctively, the group made room for them to sit. Taking a moment to look around, my mother looked surprised to see Qleyse and Ebony. “Helios warriors? Well, this is a welcome sight. Perhaps things aren’t as dark as they seem.”
My father picked up the explanation. “Their aid will be much needed, Alex and Maya. The situation has gone from bad to worse. There is a Kerr on this world.”
“A Kerr?” Rosa questioned.
“You would think of them as the evil version of the Nova,” he growled. “Anyway, this being is throwing its full weight behind the Lifebane’s attack. Breaking nearly every rule I know of, it has supplied the Duke with a massive demon force to command; and it is opening unlimited portals for the planet’s undead to traverse. My best guess is they will all arrive here in seven days with a force larger and more powerful than the world has ever seen, and with the Lich personally as its general.”
Qleyse stood up, his face was stern and actions direct. “If you will all please follow me.” Bewildered, we stood and followed him outside, past the surprised townspeople and human guards and wizards, and up the ramps to the great outer walls. He led us to the middle section of wall overlooking the river and plains below the massive walls. With a swift hand signal, Ebony ripped a battle horn off her belt and raised it to her lips. The horn’s battle cry echoed through the fortress, ringing in the air. Her horn was answered by every Helios on the walls using their own horns, and the eerie sound bounced off every nook and cranny of the fortress.
Suddenly the earth shook and massive gouts of dirt and debris rocketed into the air, as pits in the top of the walls opened up. Powerful ballista already manned by their dwarven crews rose out of the holes in the wall on platforms, locked into place and trained on the skies above. Behind the walls, the Helios guards had cleared an area of the courtyard. Suddenly, huge doors opened up from beneath and immense lifts powered a set of platforms, each carrying two massive trebuchets. Behind us, on the conventionally constructed curtain wall, more ballistae had popped up on the towers guarding the keep. A touch on my arm from Maya redirected my vision out into the fields in front of the fortress. There large, spiked stone barricades thrust themselves out of the earth. Finally, to cap it all off, behind the keep, radiating from the very tower where our room was located, was a shining beacon. It was far brighter than the sun itself; and as it cast its power over the fortress and the lands below, the battle cry of every Helios in the fortress rang out like a shockwave.
Qleyse turned his back on the outer ramparts and faced us with raised defiant arms.
“I say let the demons come! We’re ready for them!”
Chapter 14
The rest of the afternoon and most of the evening was spent putting out fire after fire; not actual flames, but the commotion caused by an army showing up out of nowhere. Darroth returned through the portal leading two tired, rebellious donkeys pulling a cart filled with horrible smelling dragon parts. He took one look at the golden-skinned troops manning the walls and portal entrance, dropped the reins, turned right around, and walked back through the portal. Fortunately, Elsa had been waiting patiently for him, and she dragged him back to our side before Rosa came by and locked the portal.
We had a number of quick meetings with my parents, which were frequently interrupted by them popping out to meet with other Nova. What we gleaned from all this was that a Kerr was indeed on the planet, and they spoke at some length about the power of the being. It did sound as if the Kerr were a match for the Nova in every way, none of which made me feel encouraged. Especially when they told us what its intentions were.
“What do you mean; it’s going to blow up the planet?” Maya demanded incredulously, smashing her fist onto the table of the war room.
“Well, not so much blow it up; more like flash fry it. It’s actually your sun that will blow up,” my father said levelly, his voice stern. “Regardless if you win or lose this battle, the Kerr will destroy this world. It has already declared its willingness to ignore our laws.”
“Then how do we stop it?” I asked.
“You can’t, Alex. Even with all your power, you are not even an ant compared to the power of a Kerr. Their entire being is now one of rage, destruction, and deception. You wouldn’t last one hit.”
“So there’s nothing we can do, then? And if they can destroy us at any time, why haven’t they?” asked Rosa.
“The Kerr love to play their little ga
mes. If there is one good thing to say about them, it is they do honor their personal word. And this challenge is over a millennium in the making; they aren’t going to back out now. As for stopping it, you don’t, that’s our job.”
That surprised me. “I thought you couldn’t fight them directly? Or even kill one?”
Mother smiled. “You’re not the only experiment, my love,” she said. “What took us so long is that we were talking with the others and have come to an agreement. The main reason we don’t fight the Kerr on worlds like this is because it is so easy for the world to be destroyed in the crossfire. One of the other Nova came up with what he thinks is a solution…”
Father stepped in, “But this does not mean we still don’t need your help. Battles with a Kerr take a long time. And the only way we will be able to intercede is if Sky Raven still stands proudly. You must keep the demons, undead, and more importantly, Lifebane out of the keep and away from the crystal. In other words, you have to win this battle!”
“So,” Maya grinned happily, “to sum up; hold off most of the world’s undead, all the demons from hell, and the world-conquering Lich with only the aid of a handful of Helios, wizards, humans, dwarves, and a fortress custom-built specially to fight demons? This should be epic!”
That enthusiasm is going to kill me one day; I just know it!
After the meetings with my parents, we had a long talk with Hons and Alera about the teachers. They were better now after calming down, resting, and having a good meal for a change. Apparently, our friends were making inroads into convincing them that life wasn’t so bad here, considering the alternatives.
After that, I left my dark elf with Rosa and the Steel Maiden contingent while Nia and I went to find Darroth. There was a lot we needed to discuss. I found him and Elsa at the dwarf bar; not surprisingly, they were both drinking heavily when I got there. I have no idea where they keep getting the stuff.
“Darroth, are you ok?”
Heir To The Nova (Book 3) Page 24