by John Corwin
I nodded. "You'll have the perfect opportunity in a moment." I pointed toward the first rows of Brightling soldiers. The closest goliath was still about two hundred yards behind them. "Fly high and drop the crucibles. That should disorient them so the rest of us can attack the first golem."
"Good luck, Justin." Bella blew me a kiss and rocketed away toward her squad.
Our troops were a blur beneath us. I heard cheers as we soared over them. Their shouts of encouragement chipped away at my doubts little by little.
We can do this!
Bella's group broke formation and gained altitude to begin their bombing run. Battle mages on flying carpets rose to meet us. Blazing wings flashed in the distance and archangels soared into the air. A group of them streaked higher on an intercept course for Bella's group.
I touched the comm pendant. "Zeta Squadron, break off and escort the bombers." Glancing over my shoulder, I watched the five flyers streak after the bombers.
Mom drew even on my right. "There must be fifty flying carpets in our way."
"And a whole bunch of flying Seraphim," Ivy said from my left.
The Brightling infantry below launched arrows of pure white energy toward us. They fell well short of reaching our height. The enemy battle mages formed a line with their flying carpets and hurled curses at us. Malignant energy sprang from their staffs. Yellow spheres whizzed past. Green lightning bolts exploded in the air. An azure beam exploded against a shield channeled at the last second by Nightliss. A flaming red skull screamed past me and narrowly missed Lanaeia's head.
"They must be really mean to know such awful curses," Ivy said as she blocked a coil of venomous green vapor.
The mages unleashed another volley of spells. They streaked through the air like fireworks, exploding and filling the air with burning ash. The heat burned my lungs and choked me. I touched the neck seam of the Nightingale armor. It flowed over my head, protecting my eyes and lungs. Slashing an arm through the air, I channeled a gust of wind, clearing a hole through the blinding soot.
"Masks on," I croaked into the comm pendant. A quick glance showed me that most of the others had already done so.
We burst through the ash cloud and were met by a flock of archangels, their lightning-wreathed vjaltis swords extended before them.
A battle cry sounded from above. I looked up as a seraph swung his vjaltis toward my neck. His cry turned into a scream as a thick beam of Brilliance punched through his chest.
"Leave my bro alone!" Ivy shouted as she watched the stricken Seraphim spiral to the ground, blood and black smoke trailing from his wound.
I didn't have time to thank her before another archangel came at me. I leaned hard right to dodge. Threw up a hand and caught his arms just below the wrist before he could complete the downward swing of his sword. Forming a spike of Murk on my left hand, I swung the broom around the seraph and punched him hard in the face. Bone crunched and blood sprayed. He went limp. I released the energy and let his body fall into the morass of infantry far below.
As I turned to find the next enemy, I saw the other Skywraiths weren't faring as well. Several were fighting for their lives, or dodging the enemy. Most of us had swords, but we hadn't practiced sword fighting from the seat of a flying broom.
An archangel beheaded one pilot and kicked the body from the broom. Another plunged his vjaltis into the chest of a female Darkling. His eyes lit with bloodlust as he watched her topple from her perch.
"No!" I screamed as another swooped in behind Ivy while she fought two enemies. I throttled to full speed and slammed into the seraph before he could stab her in the back.
An explosive grunt burst from his mouth as the end of the boomstick rammed him. Rage burned into me and flames flickered on in my eyes. I gripped him by the throat. "That's my sister you're messing with." My voice was a low furious growl. Encasing my hands in Brilliance, I wrenched off the archangel's sword arm. He screamed. His wings puffed away as his concentration shattered.
I bared my teeth at him and let him go. His screams faded into the distance. I flew behind the next closest enemy and locked an arm around his neck. My inner demon surged with bloodlust. Destruction! Brilliance! An animalistic roar tore from my throat and mingled with the hysterical screams from the seraph in my grip. With a savage twist, I wrenched his head so hard, it nearly came off.
When I spun to find the next target, I saw Nightliss and Mom staring at me with huge, horrified eyes.
Ivy laughed and clapped her hands. "That was so cool! Can I break their necks too?"
Mom came to her senses and blasted a nearby archangel out of the sky with destruction. "Justin, we need to get to the first goliath!"
I'd been so enraged with bloodlust, I'd completely forgotten the primary objective. Once again, my demonic side threatened to rip away all control. Now wasn't the time for a therapy session. The first monstrous battle golem was nearly upon us. Explosions lit the ground beneath us as the bomber squad's first volley hit the Brightling army. I threw up a shield to block a death beam from one of the archangels. Nightliss flew in behind the attacker and punched a hole through his neck with an ultraviolet spear.
I looked toward the goliath, but a blockade of battle mages on flying carpets flew in to protect it. "The battle mages are in the way!"
Bella's voice spoke through my comm pendant. "Justin, we're about to create some space for you."
Several glass crucibles sparkled in the air as they fell toward earth. I suddenly realized most of them would never reach the ground. The battle mages realized the same thing too late. One of them looked up and managed to shout, "Watch ou—" before the first crucible hit him right in the face.
Explosions blossomed in mid-air, sending battle mages and carpets flying. Smoking bodies spiraled to the ground. The battle golem rocked back on its heels from the shockwaves and seemed as if it might fall over. Much to my chagrin, it managed to stay upright.
"Retreat!" One of the archangels shouted. "Let the goliath destroy them all!"
Cheers rose from the other Skywraiths, but I knew it was too early to be celebrating just yet. As if in answer to my cautionary thoughts, the weapon shards on the goliath began to glow. The low hum that meant they were charging reached my ears. The weapon design on these behemoths looked slightly different from the ones we'd fought in Atlanta. Instead of crystal shards jutting in all directions, these bore four swiveling shards on the chest, enabling them to aim the death rays more accurately.
We were still a hundred yards out from the goliath when the hum turned to a high-pitched whine.
"Evasive maneuvers!" I shouted over the comm pendant.
Each group broke off into different directions. I took Alpha group low and lined up for my attack run. The goliath's weapons fired. One massive death ray made contact. Two boomsticks exploded into flames. Only a cloud of ash remained where once living pilots had been. Flashbacks of the first battle raced through my head, leaving a trail of bile down my throat.
I bared my teeth. "Not again, you bastards."
Aether arrows streaked past us like lasers as the infantry on the ground took aim. The other groups of Skywraiths unleashed attacks of their own. Beams of destruction carved through the army below. Smoke boiled where the attacks lit crushed foliage on fire. The enemy soldiers ceased fire and shielded themselves.
The sound of the shards powering up reached my ears again just as I reached the legs of the goliath. I threw out a diamond fiber grappling hook. It caught in the rough gray stone just below where a knee would be on a person. Leaning hard right, I looped diamond fiber rope several times around the golem's legs until I ran out of line.
The monstrous creation lifted its foot but was unable to move it. It tried to recover, but stopping the forward momentum of tons of rock proved impossible. The goliath toppled. Shouts rose from the Brightling infantry and they swarmed to the sides to escape the impact. The shards, now full of energy, exploded on impact. Dust and rubble flew in all directions. The goliath crumb
led to inert stone.
"Ivy, get the next one while they're disorganized!" I shouted.
"I'm on it!" Ivy jetted toward the next objective about fifty yards behind the first with Mom and me to either side of her. Ivy's eyes flashed with inspiration. "I have a better idea."
I didn't have time to ask what it was before she zipped past the second golem and headed toward the third. "What are you doing?"
"Two stones with one bird." She flashed a grin.
Several archangels flew in to intercept. Lanaeia raked the first one with a searing white beam. Nightliss encased the next in a bubble of Murk and let it drop to the ground. Mom and I hit the same attacker in the chest, blasting the seraph like a burning meteor through the air.
I saw Ivy zipping around the goliath's legs. Like the first one, it couldn't beat physics and lost its balance. I suddenly realized what Ivy's brilliant plan had been when the granite leviathan tripped headfirst into the goliath in front of it like a giant domino. Both crashed to earth, sending a tidal wave of dirt and vegetation flying to either side. The giant golems broke into pieces on impact, the enchantment binding them together unable to withstand the incredible force. Their sparks burst free of the wreckage and winked out, unable to maintain cohesion.
A small ravine opened beneath some of the enemies and they vanished into the dark earth. I thought I saw one of the smaller earth dragons diving beneath the surface. Good job, Slitheren!
The Brightling infantry recovered their wits. Hundreds of light arrows streaked toward us. I took us up to a safer altitude, but several more Skywraiths fell. As I looked around and took a count, I realized we'd lost nearly fifteen pilots. We'd downed three battle golems, but I counted at least ten more coming our way.
Our small victories amounted to little more than a dent in Daelissa's juggernaut.
Chapter 35
The odds were against us, but we couldn't quit now. "Form up," I commanded. "We're going to try the same thing on the fifth goliath."
"We might not have a chance," Mom said.
The other goliaths fanned out, their massive feet trampling virgin jungle. The first one had stopped walking so the others could catch up. A dark cloud of leathery winged beings rose from the ground and encircled it like bats.
"Flying vampires," Lanaeia said. "So long as they are not the ancient ones, they shouldn't pose a serious threat."
With the goliaths changing formation and the swarm of vampires in our way, we stood a slim chance of taking down another battle golem. "We've lost too many people to risk it," I said. "We have to pull back and let our army engage them."
Bella, Rai, and the others in the bomber squadron glided to a halt near us.
"I think they're onto the plan," Bella said. "And we're running low on crucibles."
Despair squeezed my throat. Perhaps a hundred of the Brightling infantry lay dead. Others had fallen into small ravines just large enough for a person to fall through. Archangels and battle mages added another sixty or so to the body count. We'd killed so many, but it wasn't nearly enough. Daelissa's reinforcements were already on the way. A large contingent of vampires clad in the crimson armor of Red Cell marched behind the oncoming goliaths. A horde of flightless vampires thronged behind them. I even spotted the remnants of the Synod Templar army and Exorcists. Daelissa had pulled out all the stops. She was throwing everything including the kitchen sink at us. We'd done all the damage we could for now.
In a hollow voice, I gave the command. "Retreat."
We flew high and raced toward the outer edges of El Dorado where the bulk of our army still waited. The camouflage screen was gone, revealing Fjoeruss's megaliths and tripods. I saw no sign of the sphinx. Since the Flarks had already infiltrated our ranks, Thomas had probably decided it was no longer worth maintaining the illusion.
Brightling infantry hurled spears of light and shouted curses at us as we flew over them, but we were out of range of their spells. I took us back to the Templar command platform, parked my broom, and hopped off.
"Good work," Thomas said.
I shook my head. "Not good enough."
Elyssa rushed over and hugged me. "I was so worried."
I squeezed her hands. "I'm fine, babe." I turned back to Thomas. "What now?"
"We stand and fight." He cast a grim look toward the horizon.
The enemy forces had resumed their march with the goliaths in a triangular formation in front of them. They no longer marched down the clearing where the troops were, remaining at a safe distance so if they fell, they wouldn't kill their own people. The great crackling of massive trees echoed. The thuds of their footsteps vibrated the air like miniature earthquakes.
Thomas checked the screen of his arctablet. "Once we engage, I'd like the Skywraiths to bomb and harass enemy forces."
"We'll be ready." I looked at Elyssa. "I guess this is it."
Elyssa's hands tightened on mine. "We'll make it through this."
Thomas looked at his daughter. "Templar, please resume your post."
She stiffened and backed away. "Yes, sir."
Thomas pulled me to the other side of the platform. "I have a failsafe should this battle not go our way."
"A failsafe?"
He nodded. "Two malaether crucibles Jeremiah left in his vault."
My jaw went slack with surprise. "I didn't realize we had any more of them."
"Neither did I until our people found them." He glanced at Elyssa, but she was busily tapping away on an arctablet. "If worse comes to worst, I will take a malaether crucible on a camouflaged flying carpet straight at Daelissa. If I'm lucky, I'll reach her and detonate it."
I gave him a startled look. "I can't let you do that."
"You will take my daughter away from here and keep her safe." Thomas's hand tightened like a vice on my shoulder. "Understood?"
"No." I narrowed my eyes. "If it comes down to that, I'll take a crucible to Daelissa. The brooms are much faster than the flying carpets."
"Unacceptable."
"I will not let you kill yourself." Thomas squared his shoulders as if readying for a fight.
I crossed my arms and stared him down. "Who's in command here?"
"You are," he said in a stony voice.
"Correct." I chose my next words carefully. "I'm one of the best flyers. I could probably get close enough to Daelissa to deliver the explosive. I also have the best chance of surviving the blast. After all, I shielded myself and others from a malaether blast during the defense of the Australian Templar compound."
Thomas's shoulders loosened a little. "That might be true, but it's still a suicide mission."
I put an arm on his shoulder and managed a smile. "It's not suicide if I survive." I glanced over my shoulder at Elyssa and back to him. "Believe me, I want to survive this, but if it comes down to surviving or stopping Daelissa, I will do what I must to save Eden."
"You seem to have fully grasped the meaning of duty, Mr. Slade." He didn't look entirely happy about it. "I hold no illusions about this battle. This is everything we have against everything she has." The low rumbling march of the goliaths drew his attention. "Unfortunately, Daelissa has a great deal more."
The enemy was close. Time to fight. I caught Elyssa looking at me with worried eyes and blew her a kiss. It wasn't much, but it was enough for now. She knew I loved her to infinity and beyond, and I knew she felt the same way. There was nothing more to be said. All that remained was victory or death.
"We'll see this through, Commander." I hopped back on my broom and flew back into formation. Trumpets sounded and our front lines met the enemy forces.
I threw up a hand. "Skywraiths, attack!"
We flew toward the front line. Deadly beams streaked back and forth between the two armies. Blue Cloaks and revived Darklings on flying carpets engaged archangels. The Darkling infantry, now supercharged by feeding on humans, channeled gouts of Murk at the encroaching Brightlings. In response, the Brightlings fired back focused beams of destruction through their swo
rds.
Our front lines buckled under the assault. I swooped low and shouted in Cyrinthian, "Remember, you can dual channel! Use everything you have!"
One of the Darklings shielded himself with Murk and fired a beam of white energy from his right hand. He caught a surprised Brightling in the face. Other Darklings followed the example and unleashed Brilliance against their adversaries. Shocked Brightlings staggered backward. Their armor had been designed to neutralize Murk, not Brilliance.
I took the Skywraiths toward the flying vampires. Ivy knocked several from midair with precise blasts as the creatures came for us. I punched a hole through the wings of two more, sending them to their deaths.
"Don't let them swarm us," I said. "They're slower than us, so stay just away from them and keep firing."
We strafed back and forth, knocking vampires from the sky. They shrieked with impotent rage, unable to fly fast enough to catch us. I glanced down and saw our front lines pushing back the enemy. Small holes opened up in the ground beneath Brightlings, sending the surprised soldiers plummeting into the darkness. Even the Templar lines were doing well against the Brightlings. The weapon improvements had obviously made a difference. One could never underestimate the power of duct tape.
A low humming noise signaled that our advances would soon be at an end. The goliaths were in range of our troops.
Fjoeruss's monstrous creations responded. Sometime during the battle, the megaliths had moved far out to the left flank while the tripods had done the same on the right. The sphinx was still nowhere to be seen.
The gem arrays on the megaliths blasted chunks from one of the enemy units. Their focused fire reduced the goliath to rubble within seconds. They turned their fire on the next target, but the enemy units responded. Torsos swiveling, they aimed crystal shards toward this new threat. The goliaths unleashed everything at the first of Fjoeruss's megaliths. It buckled under the assault but fired back. The lower torso of the closest goliath shattered. Unable to maintain its balance, it crashed into the jungle.
The concentrated fire from the goliaths pierced the basalt megalith. Its spark exploded in a dark cloud. The other megalith ignored its inert companion and pressed the attack. The gems on its cylindrical head blazed with energy. When they fired, the beams converged, forming a solid gray beam, which struck the leg of the next goliath. The stone froze in place, but the marching goliath kept moving forward. Its leg broke free. Massive arms flailing for balance, the goliath thundered to earth.