by John Corwin
"House Salomon congratulates you on our grand victory, Kohvaniss." Godric nodded at me.
Yuuki bit her lip suggestively. "A grand victory indeed. Perhaps the Kohvaniss would like to celebrate."
I felt Elyssa tense next to me and hoped she didn't slice the Daemas to ribbons.
"A celebration is rather far off," Thomas said. "There is still the matter of the Overworld Conclave. We have many important decisions ahead of us."
"What to do with the vampires, for one," Godric said. "I suggest removing them from the Conclave entirely. We will be better off for it."
"Oh, yes, let's create a huge power vacuum," Dad said, his voice heavy with sarcasm. "I'm sure all the disenfranchised vampires won't mind."
"They have done it to themselves." Godric's chin rose so high, I thought he might break his neck. "Otto Strassman and his lowly leechers deserve no power in the new arrangement."
"Let's shelve this talk for later," I said, already sick of hearing Godric's snooty voice. "The Overworld is a mess right now and it's going to take a while to sort it all out."
"House Slade agrees," Dad said before Godric could open his big mouth again.
I turned to Thomas. "Commander Borathen, how do you suggest we handle the immediate issues?"
"We need to reign in all rogue enemy units such as the Synod and the vampires, and bring them firmly under control before we pursue any political resolutions." He showed us an arctablet with a list of names. I recognized several as the leaders of the rogue factions. "Once we force unconditional surrenders from them, it will make our efforts much easier."
"This will only continue the war, not end it," Godric said.
Kassallandra frowned at him. "There is wisdom in Commander Borathen's words. I suggest we heed them."
"If we don't bring them to heel," Dad said, "we could end up letting this conflict drag on for ages."
Godric opened his mouth to speak when a klaxon boomed throughout the way station. The hubbub of conversation died away as the klaxon sounded again. A Templar scout on a flying carpet zipped toward us.
Eyes wide, he leapt off and saluted Thomas. "Sir, the Grand Nexus is activating."
"Activating?" Godric said in a high-pitched voice of disbelief. "You must be mistaken."
Thomas didn't hesitate. He climbed aboard the command platform, which hovered nearby, and shouted commands at his coordinators. He turned to us. "Gather your forces and make all haste to the nexus."
Shelton and Bella appeared with Stacey and Ryland in tow.
"Did I hear right?" Shelton said. "The Grand Nexus is powering on?"
My heart went tight. "Do we have any portal-blocking statues for it? Please tell me we have one!"
Elyssa gave me a helpless look. "The only ones we had were the statues Katie and the others put here originally. We don't have any more."
The Templar forces were already marching in tight formation toward the nexus. The Daemos and lycan troops followed closely behind, though I saw Godric loitering behind.
We ran to our carpet. Elyssa hopped on behind me and we rose into the air. I rotated the carpet and shot toward the nexus along with several formations of Blue Cloaks and Templar Arcanes. We arrived just as the air within the arch columns flickered into a view of another realm. An army of Seraphim with blazing white swords and crystal armor stood in formation on the other side.
Someone roared a command and the Seraphim army invaded.
Chapter 21
Daelissa
The Divinity Scepter floated within a crystalline case. A small orb rotated within a jeweled setting at the top of the slender crystal rod. Daelissa did not remember such a scepter and wondered if the original Skazaeleus ordered it crafted for her as a gift before the Desecration.
"It is lovely," Lanaeia said.
Qualan grunted and strode around the small room of artifacts located in the south wing of the palace. He looked as if he wanted to smash everything to bits with his bare fists.
"Legend has it this was crafted from a part of the Elder Gate itself," Banj explained. Tovaard had found this wrinkled old historian for her, hopeful he could fill in the gaps after her exile to Eden. He claimed to have documents proving Daelissa had really existed. Until her arrival back on Seraphina, he'd been considered an eccentric old fool. He was still old but no longer a fool.
Daelissa found his age disgusting. Such decrepitude is unnatural! "What is this Elder Gate?" she asked.
"The arch upon the Eternal Cliffs." Banj dabbed at a puddle of drool forming on the corner of his mouth. "This is the gate Daelissa—you—and the elders used to travel between worlds."
"The Grand Nexus." Daelissa did not appreciate being called an elder, but apparently, she, Qualan, and Lanaeia were the oldest Seraphim in this realm.
"I believe I know what happened," Lanaeia said. She sat at a table next to a bookshelf. The useless sera had been poring over Banj's documents for the past four days. "The nexus was closed during the Desecration, but since it was still attuned to Seraphina, some part of the backlash traversed our realm and changed our people. This is why they now age."
Qualan spun on his heel and gave her a scornful look. "You're saying the Desecration on this side of the nexus took away immortality?"
"My father, Bjoerrinn, was an advisor to the original Skazaeleus. He often complained that the regent liked to author his own decrees rather than have scribes do it for him." Lanaeia pointed at the magically preserved parchment. "I recognize his handwriting. These are pages from what may have been his journal."
Banj's eyes lit with excitement. "That explains why these documents were discovered in the Tomb of the Emperors." He touched Lanaeia's arm. "Tell me, my dear, did you know the first emperor well?"
"He was no emperor," Daelissa snapped. "He was a regent appointed by me to oversee the realm in my absence." She opened the crystal display case and took the scepter in her right hand. It felt perfectly ordinary. "He failed me miserably." Her grip tightened, sending a sharp pain radiating out from her palm.
Banj nodded. "After the Elder Gate—"
"Grand Nexus," Daelissa said in a sharp tone.
He bowed. "Yes, Divinity. After it was closed, the Darklings grew bolder. It was during the second uprising that they drove the Brightlings from the far southern land of Pjurna and claimed it as their own."
"Without humans to feed from, the Brightlings lost their power advantage," Lanaeia said. "This empowered the Darklings."
Qualan smashed a fist against the table causing Lanaeia to shriek and flinch away. "We will crush the Darklings and put them back in their place."
Lanaeia looked at him with wide eyes. She took a deep breath and held up another parchment. "Skazaeleus wrote that he held contests to find the fairest voice in the land. He made them sing to the scepter for some reason."
"Indeed," Banj said. "Many thought he was insane. For centuries after his death, his successors carried on this legacy. It was said that only one with a perfect voice could awaken the Divinity Scepter."
"How odd," Lanaeia said. "It sounds like a fairy tale."
Tovaard appeared at the doorway. "Divinity, the army is almost at the Grand Nexus."
Joy lit Daelissa's heart. "Then let us go!" She slashed a hand through the air at Lanaeia. "Stay here and read to your foolish heart's content. You are ill suited for much else."
"May I have her?" Qualan asked. He gripped a handful of the sera's hair and jerked her head back to expose her throat. "I believe I could turn her into a warrior."
A tear trickled down Lanaeia's face. "You are no warrior. You're nothing but a brute."
Qualan roared and drove her face into the table. "A brute? I am a prince!"
Lanaeia sobbed. Blood pooled on the table beneath her face.
"Please," Banj said, placing himself between Qualan and the sera. "Some are simply not made for war, my prince."
"Indeed," Qualan said, wiping his bloody hands on the old seraph's robes. "They are the ones who will bow and scrape
to the rest of us."
"Well said." Daelissa graced Qualan with a smile. "Let us go. We have a realm to force to its knees." She almost tossed the scepter away, but decided to keep it. It was rather lovely to look upon, and the color complemented the blue in her eyes. She paused at the door and looked at Lanaeia. "Pick yourself up and come."
The sera's bruised face was slowly healing, but Daelissa saw something in her eyes that would never heal. Good, good. Perhaps you'll soon learn power equals protection.
Lanaeia rose without a word and followed. Banj gave her one of his handkerchiefs.
"Be careful, sweet sera," he told her.
Skazaeleus was waiting for them at the entrance to the Imperial Skyway. Unlike the public ones, this skyway could be directed to go anywhere and was much faster. It had taken the imperial troops only hours to travel from the palace grounds to the Grand Nexus.
Minister Kjoeriss and several other members of the royal retinue waited with the Emperor. Daelissa, Qualan, Lanaeia, and Tovaard stepped onto the skyway.
"Let us make all haste," Daelissa said.
Skazaeleus the Fourth bowed. "Make it so," he told the operator.
The cloudbank began to move. It gathered speed and height as it went until Zbura dwindled to a speck behind them and the land receded far below. Daelissa stood near the edge and watched her kingdom sail past beneath them while the others sat on plush divans and sipped wine. She turned to look at her entourage.
Lanaeia sat by herself near the back. She made no move to wipe crusted blood from her face, nor did she express any emotion. Her nose was still slightly swollen and purple. It was obvious she hadn't fed from humans for very long before making this journey. Otherwise, she would be fully healed by now.
Qualan's dark eyes glittered as he looked at the young sera. "It will be fun breaking that foolish sera."
Daelissa smiled at him. "Perhaps you will one day make something of her."
Emperor Skazaeleus shifted uncomfortably in his royal armor. Unlike the enchanted cloth armor favored by the Templars, this armor was made of thin crystal scales. While it would certainly disperse the weak attacks of the Brightlings in this world, it would do little to stop the power of Seraphim fed on the essence of humans.
At last, they reached the Eternal Cliffs. The crystal armor of the Seraphim troops glittered in the sun like hundreds of diamonds on the plateau below the Imperial Skyway. The cloudbank broke free of the Imperial Skyway and descended. Daelissa spotted a commotion below. Her gaze picked out a familiar woman at the center of the fray, surrounded by imperial soldiers.
What is Serena doing here? I told her to wait.
The instant the cloudbank settled to the ground, Daelissa strode to the soldiers around Serena. "Free her. She is my servant."
"At once, Divinity," a young lieutenant said. He bowed and backed away without looking up from the ground until he was a safe distance away.
Serena's eyes widened when she saw Daelissa. "The enemy is attacking the Grand Nexus! I tried to tell these fools they needed to invade at once, but they wouldn't listen to me."
Daelissa bared her teeth. "Activate the nexus immediately!"
Serena ran to the empty socket where the Chalon would sit. This side didn't require the Chalon since the other side already had it. The Arcane held her hand over the socket. The arch hummed as it drew aether from the ley lines below. The air between the arch columns flickered. The thrumming noise of the arch abruptly wound down as if it had lost all power.
"No!" Serena shouted. She held her hand above the socket, but nothing happened. Eyes wide and full of fear, she turned to Daelissa. "They have removed the Chalon."
Ice formed in Daelissa's chest. "They what?"
"We're trapped in Seraphina." Tears formed in Serena's eyes.
"Trapped?" Qualan stormed to her, gripped her by the throat, and lifted her from the ground. "How could you let this happen you idiot?"
Serena made a choking noise. "Tried…invade…"
"Put her down," Daelissa commanded.
Qualan growled and dropped her.
The short Arcane stumbled to her knees gasping. "I told them to invade." She sucked in another breath and managed to climb to her feet. "I came here immediately and told your people hours ago. They wouldn't listen."
Fire burned through the icy dread in Daelissa's heart. "Who did you speak with?"
Serena pointed to the Lieutenant. "Him."
Qualan covered the distance in an eye blink. Grabbed the lieutenant, and flung him across the rocky ground to land at Daelissa's feet.
He held up a hand. "Please, Divinity, I did not know this human was authorized to command us."
Daelissa clenched her scepter. "You have cost me everything!" She swung the scepter hard. It smashed into the seraph's head. Again and again, she pummeled his skull until the crystal shattered. With a final scream, she drove the splintered shaft into the base of the seraph's neck.
Laughter burst from Qualan's throat. "Truly, he has learned his lesson, Divinity."
As Daelissa rose, she looked at her bloodied hands. Skazaeleus looked at her with naked fear on his face, as did some of the nearby soldiers. She could no longer take her army to Eden. Her plans to scour her enemies from that realm were vanquished. Fury boiled beneath her skin. She wanted blood. She wanted to obliterate Justin Slade as she had Moses.
"Mistress."
Daelissa looked down and saw Serena combing through the scattered brains of the dead lieutenant. The Divinity bared her teeth. "Were you not a human I could feed from, I would kill you this instant."
Serena held up something small and coated with gore. "Where did this come from?"
"Is it a bit of bone? An eye?" Daelissa almost slapped it from the woman's hand. "How should I know?"
Serena wiped it on a clean part of her dress and held it up.
Daelissa recognized it. "It is the orb from the Scepter of the Divinity."
Insane giggles erupted from Serena. "This is no mere orb."
Freed from the intricate setting atop the scepter, Daelissa realized how clever the original Skazaeleus had been. The Chalon on this side must have fallen from the arch after the Desecration. Unable to attune it without Alysea, he had hidden it.
"This was why Skazaeleus the First sought a perfect voice," Lanaeia said. "He thought someone else could attune the Chalon."
"Pah!" Serena gripped the orb. "It must be in the nexus to be attuned."
"Then by all means activate it," Qualan said.
Serena placed the orb near the socket. Nothing happened. She took an arcphone from her satchel and projected an image of Alysea.
Daelissa felt her lips peel back at the sight of the traitor. Unfortunately, she still needed the services of her former friend.
The holographic image of Alysea began to sing. A few minutes later, the Chalon snapped into place like a magnet. Serena's eyes brightened. "If it is not already attuned to Eden, it will take me several minutes to do so using a recording I made of Alysea when I held the Slade boy and his father captive in the Gloom." She giggled again, eyes almost manic. "The key to all the realms is ours."
Daelissa's heart lightened a thousand fold. Giddy laughter sprang from her lips.
Qualan raised his arms in the air and roared. "We will have Eden!"
"Troops form up!" Skazaeleus shouted.
The military commanders took up the call. Before long, the imperial army stood in neat columns, ready to march through.
"The Chalon is already attuned to Eden." Serena caressed the hovering orb with her hand. "All I need to do is activate it."
Daelissa stepped atop a personal cloudbank that operated much like a flying carpet. She felt a smile stretch across her face. "Then by all means, let us invade."
The Grand Nexus hummed to life. A moment later, the gateway tore through the ethereal divide between the realms to reveal an army of Templars. Surprise flashed across the faces of the rebels.
Skazaeleus floated nearby on his own cloudb
ank. He held an amplification crystal to his throat and boomed the first command of the real war. "Attack!"
Chapter 22
The air in my lungs froze as the Seraphim army rushed to meet ours. The enemy soldiers wore sparkling armor that appeared to be made of glass or crystal. Each held swords of the same material that glowed with an inner white light, as if infused with Brilliance.
The first wave of Templars engaged the Seraphim. Silver swords shattered when they met the shining swords of the enemy. Arcanes fired spells into the Seraphim ranks but the armor seemed to soak it up and glow brighter.
Seraphim soldiers cleaved through the Templar lines like paper, losing only a few of their own. Although we held a numbers advantage, the area around the nexus was too small for all our forces to fit. I saw lycans and Daemos unable to reach the front lines as more and more Templars fell to the relentless advance of the invaders.
A wave of enemy soldiers flew through the gateway on small clouds. Blue Cloaks took up positions. The new attackers aimed their swords at the Blue Cloaks and fired white beams from them. Our people threw up defensive shields or dodged the attacks on their flying carpets.
The Blue Cloak who'd used Magitsu to kill the battle mages earlier swooped beneath the enemy attacks and leapt to the cloud carrying one of the Seraphim. He ducked beneath a swing of the sword and pressed his wand to the back of his attacker's knee. Light flashed, and the inside of the crystal armor glowed bright, as if the spell were ricocheting off the inside of the armor.
The Seraphim screamed and plunged from his mount into the sea of invaders below. The Blue Cloak leapt from the cloud back to his flying carpet in time to avoid several death beams from the attackers' swords.
"We've got to do something," Elyssa said. Horror gripped her face as she watched Templars fall.
A trumpet sounded and our forces began to retreat toward a large space where they'd be able to regroup. But even as they marched back, the enemy forces advanced, taking down our people left and right.
It was too much to bear. I flew our carpet low and blasted a searing wave of Brilliance into the midst of the Seraphim soldiers. Their crystal armor cracked and shattered, unable to absorb the full power of my attack. Screams rose from their ranks as they fell. There were far too many for me to kill, but their march faltered.