The Heartstone Saga

by Archibald Bradford

  “Nameless is missing?” Kavanaugh asked with some concern.

  “What? You know him- what am I saying of course you do.” Miranda ran her hand through her hair to gather her thoughts; “Not so much missing as I don’t know where he is yet. His apartment block was one of the first places hit, but I’ve had reports that he made it into the Bastion. Hopefully the kid just has his head up his ass in a closet somewhere. Even more troubling is that we haven’t heard anything from any of the council.”

  Volka landed beside them then, she was grim-faced at having lost the Chimera but still her presence evoked a hush from those nearby as her aura told them that not all hope was lost.

  But the silence couldn’t last long, not with so many injured.

  “I need gauze over here!” Brooke Merlot called from nearby, Ophelia’s former teacher doing her job amongst the other medics.

  “My husband’s head is not anywhere it should not be, despite Evadne’s efforts.” Volka pronounced; “The Chimera attacked the Bastion, the council is dead.”

  While she spoke the angel walked towards the two Ogres, the one still conscious snarling and straining mightily to be free of the goo.

  Several of the cadets with Kavanaugh let out gasps of shock at the news about the council, but he was quick to bark an order to silence them.

  “Take these girls to the training grounds in front of the Bastion.” Volka continued; “He will meet you there. But many more Ogres rage throughout the city for us to deal with. I will track them from the air.”

  Volka knelt down and arched her wings in preparation.

  “Go, please.” Miranda said with a nod, the professional choking back any feeling she had about the council being gone; “We’ll start assembling teams and do what we can on the ground.”

  The Valkyrie nodded and took flight, and suddenly Rebecca was being squeezed hard by her bond-mate.

  “When this is over, you are in so much trouble.” She whispered into the bunny’s pierced ear; “You got too much brave in you Becks. Too much for your own damn good.”

  “S-Sorry.” Rebecca replied lamely.

  Nearby Kavanaugh and the cadets were doing their best not to eavesdrop, though the instructor interrupted their embrace before it ended.

  “We brought a number of people from the academy, after getting these girls situated we’ll raid the armory in the Bastion. Assuming someone hasn’t already. After that, we’ll get back into it on the streets.”

  __________

  The open field just outside the boarding school was a mess.

  The fighting had been fierce, but the last of the Ogres was on the ground, six other monster girls on top of her to keep her from getting up again.

  Amidst the roars from the captured Tenebrae, a mournful chorus of groans reverberated around the field from the wounded.

  Sitting propped against the wall of the school, Tiana’s breathing was ragged, her spear broken and her left side a wreck from being on the wrong end of an Ogre’s foot.

  “She’s here!” She heard Lilly call out, leading a pair of naked green Dryads to her side; “Tee? You still alive?”

  She was barely able to nod.

  If the Dryad groves had not come out of their woods to help, the battle against the fifteen Ogres would have been a bloodbath.

  Once they joined the fight they quickly overwhelmed the Tenebrae with their nature magic, massive enchanted roots surging out of the ground to bind the Ogres to the blood-soaked field.

  It took some doing but the nature spirits soon stabilized her, and Tiana looked to the Wolfen looming at her side.

  “I-I’ll take that drink now.” She wheezed.

  Within the streets of the city, the chaos continued; members of the Aegis were evacuating who they could and striving to contain the Ogres still running amok.

  Evadne and Jonathan had sent Tora’s entire clan into the city, from all different directions, and it was three hours before their rampage was ended.

  Three hours of terror and destruction in the once peaceful seat of the Aegis’s power.

  And even after the last of them fled or was killed, the dying continued.

  Just like Nameless’s apartment, countless homes and buildings were destroyed around the city from the rampage, with innumerable people trapped beneath the rubble, living and dead alike.

  Volka took it upon herself to unite the disparate rescue efforts, flying to and fro and directing the personnel on the ground.

  In the market district a group of enterprising workmen had managed to draw one of the rampaging Ogres into a blind alley, then box her in with an enormous metal storage container that had to be moved by an even larger lost-tech mechanism.

  The giant’s angry strength fell short of budging the steel box, so instead she raged within the confined space until Nina was able to subdue her for Nameless.

  The giant was in a truly foul mood at having had to dig herself out of two separate piles of rubble.

  Even still, were it not for Xalanth, the Ogres’ rampage would likely have gone on for far longer.

  Once she found her bond-mate safe with Nameless, the ancient Dragon returned to the streets and began her hunt, swatting the giants down as if they were impetuous children.

  Tenebrae were creatures of rage and hate, but still they came to fear the lone Dragon; with her wings they could not escape once she caught sight of them, not when they were misbehaving so close to her lair and within the bounds of her city.

  Sadly there were far too many of them to contain, and when she came to realize this she stopped holding back, killing every Ogre that she encountered.

  The Dragon was old, countless Tenebrae had fallen before her in the past, and she understood the necessity of it, had strength enough to bear the weight of their lives on her soul.

  But it still pained her greatly.

  With Volka’s help, Miranda and Commander Dawn Morrow eventually managed to coordinate the Aegis response, while Nameless dove into the minds of what few Ogres that were able to subdue, wrenching them free of their nightmare.

  Even without his Valkyrie to shield him from their pain, he was familiar enough with Jonathan’s work by now to undo it alone.

  She was needed elsewhere.

  Tora and Kriss had helped Ginger and Baron bring the two Ogres that they had managed to subdue to Nameless in the square, and afterwards Kriss watched as her brother pulled them free of Evadne’s mind.

  And the Trog thought she was conflicted about him before...

  While Tora was embracing her surviving kin and sobbing with them, Nameless took several gulps of water from a canteen before turning towards his sister.

  “I’m glad you two are alright.” He said with a weak smile.

  Kriss hissed at him, annoyed without really knowing why as he tried to hide the trembling in his hands.

  “I told you before that I don’t need your protection softskin. I need only to get my claws on the one who did this.”

  “Fat chance of that.” Erica muttered as her eyes flicked to the dust-covered Nina, now glaring at the Chameleon.

  But having to deal with the Tenebrae meant that Nameless was unable to keep his emotions in check, his cheeks reddening with anger even as he rolled his eyes at the Trog’s recalcitrance.

  Though weakened from the ordeal of curing the Tenebrae without Volka’s help, he spoke with energy.

  “Kriss, can’t you understand the odds that we overcame to get here?! I know you don’t... need me, but I thought that every relative I had was dead! So while you might not think this is a big deal, just know that it is to me! I’m... I’m a brother, I’m your big brother. And even though I haven’t had three fucking seconds to think about what that means, just know that I will always be there for you, whether you like it or not.”

  With Tora and the other Ogres huddled together so close by and sharing in a tearful reunion, it was hard for Kriss to argue with his heartfelt declaration.

  And it was plain to see to anyone that his words we
re having an effect on her; despite her cool attitude she was blinking rapidly to stave off tears.

  Naturally she tried to shake it off.

  “I-I am a warrior. I don’t need anybody to protect me.” She repeated with less conviction.

  Risking life and limb, he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her tight.

  “I know. But I’m going to anyways.”

  She hissed at him again as her clawed hands settled on his shoulders, making to push him away.

  Once he relented she shook her head and with one hand held up the edge of the tattered red fabric around her waist.

  “All I care about is Evadne. This sash has soaked up enough blood to dye a river. It absorbed the blood of my mother the day she was tortured to death. One day, it will soak up her blood too.”

  “No it won’t.” Nina declared, her arms crossing over her breasts.

  “I don’t care how strong you are, no one will deny me my vengeance.”

  “I’m not denying you anything. I’m saving your life. She’d kill you with her eyes closed. That’s a fact, so best you get over it now.”

  Kriss ground her teeth together in frustration, unable to refute the giant’s words but unwilling to let it go.

  Nina, realizing this, turned to Milly.

  “Hey babe, gimme your spear.”

  Wordlessly, Milly did as Nina asked, or rather ordered.

  The tiny girl held the weapon in front of the fuming Kriss.

  “This belonged to my friend Kar. Evadne killed her with it. Here, take a good long look.”

  The Troglodyte did as she said, taking the black spear and examining the length of it.

  “So what does this mean?”

  “Nothing. But this is as close to Evadne’s blood as you will ever get.”

  Kriss was taken aback, examining it closer for a time, but eventually she hissed and glared at the giant.

  “Why do you keep standing in my way?”

  “Because my master will lose no one else. He promised to protect you, and as such you will be protected, even if I have to pull your damned legs off to keep you safe. Good luck sneaking up on anyone while walking on your hands like a doofus.”

  But before they could continue the discussion, or rather argument, word came of the Tenebrae that had been subdued by Tiana and the others, so their private moment had to end as Nameless’s duty called to him.

  By the time he was finished, he was ashen faced and sick to his stomach, having endured over and over the agony of Evadne’s children turning to dust.

  Just like she had so long ago, he felt the ash of their remains on his tongue, and it was some time before he was able to get the taste out of his mouth.

  More bitter than even that though: thirteen.

  Thirteen Ogres, of the sixty that entered the city, were all that they were able to save.

  Though at least some of the others survived; for reasons unknown a large group of them fled when Evadne had, but the rest were killed either by Xalanth or by Aegis operatives who’d done the same grim work in the past, like Miranda and Grant and their respective monster girls.

  To maximize the destruction, the Ogre clan had been directed to split into small groups and come at the city from several directions, but Evadne and Jonathan hadn’t counted on part of the city being so well guarded, so the largest group never made it into the streets.

  A small mercy.

  Tiana and the monster girls fighting beside her had succeeding in keeping the Ogres away from the boarding school, the pitched battle they waged turning completely in their favour when the groves of Dryads began to emerge from their precious woods to aid them with their magic.

  As it turned out the reason Miranda’s neighbours were communing with their trees was to gather their strength in preparation for the next Lipton Falls, and the nature spirits needed every bit of the magic they had drawn out of their groves to help cope with all of the wounded in the city.

  Sadly many of the monster girls that followed Tiana into battle met their end there.

  Two of the Saenga girls were critically injured when their effort to take one of the Ogres alive failed, and if Tiana hadn’t interceded than Lilly would have once again been forced to mourn for one of her pack.

  And their names were few amongst many on an ever growing list.

  On top of that, the damage to the Bastion from Evadne’s reckless magic was extensive; the structure had to be evacuated while a team of earth spirits set to work within in order to ensure that it was still sound.

  If even part of the ancient spire had collapsed amidst the crowded city the death toll would’ve doubled in an instant.

  As it was Garland was cast into mourning.

  An Ogre’s rampage would have been terrible to behold, but a whole host of them, all fueled by rage and grief at the loss of Evadne’s children... it was the worst disaster ever to befall any of the city states.

  To make matters worse Aegis Booker was now the only surviving member of the original Aegis council. Evadne, wherever she was hiding, had struck a terrible blow at the very heart of the peace-keeping organization, and she had more or less gotten away with it.

  Booker was found along with Juni in a corner of the training grounds at the base of the Bastion, the pair of them lying amidst a soaking wet pile of rubble.

  When Yana had attacked the council the Undine had used her magic to flood herself and her master out of the side of the building and into what would have been a fatal drop had she not used all of her power to form a massive pillar of water to fall with them and cushion their landing.

  Booker broke his leg in two places and shattered his hip, while the elemental was completely exhausted from expending every bit of her magical strength.

  Yana escaped, though nobody was sure how.

  The one-eyed man looked terrible: gray faced and trembling on a cot while Miranda, Kavanaugh, Dawn Morrow, Theo Holbrook and the Valkyrie did their best not to get in the way of the medics and Dryads bustling around him in the temporary canvas shelter.

  “We should never have argued with you.” He spat out bitterly; “We should have recognized what you were doing and got in line behind you weeks ago.”

  Raw tears streaking down his face at the memory of his friends on the council, all dead.

  So many people, dead.

  Volka extended her aura over him to shield him from his bitter grief, his trembling stilled and his lips parted in shock at the wash of joyous light enveloping him.

  Once he’d regained control of himself, he wiped the tears from his face and looked to Dawn Morrow.

  “Commander, by my authority as representative of the Aegis high council, I am directing you to do whatever it takes to move the Aegis into a wartime footing... under the leadership of Dominar Volka.”

  The woman’s eyes widened at the order, but she soon clapped her fist to her breast in acknowledgment.

  “Yes sir.” She turned to face the Valkyrie and repeated the salute, the others quickly doing the same; “Ma’am, your orders?”

  The Valkyrie quirked an eyebrow at being called ‘ma’am’, a human conceit, but let it slide and got right to the point.

  “After this attack, we need to take stock of ourselves and do a complete tally of our numbers, both those within the Aegis and those monster girls that have already responded to my summons. Coordinate with the lawkeepers in the city, many of the Aegis’s duties will need to fall upon them.”

  “They don’t have the same training.” Kavanaugh warned tiredly.

  He hadn’t stopped to take a break until it was confirmed that all of the Ogres in the city had been brought down.

  “No, but they must step up and do the best they can. Everyone who is able must step up. Along with taking stock of our forces, put out a call for volunteers. As the people are even now demonstrating around the city, there are many roles to be filled in war.”

  “What should I tell them?” Dawn asked.

  Volka looked to Nameless, assisting Oph
elia not far away with one of her patients, and smiled sadly before repeating the same words she said to him some time ago.

  “Tell them if they want their peaceful lives back, they will have to earn it.”

  A brief silence greeted her words as they all took in their meaning.

  “Fair enough.” Miranda mumbled finally, Dawn soon mirroring her nod.

  “Additionally I want every cadet and monster girl in the academy counted amongst our numbers. No matter their level of training.”

  “Some of them haven’t even finished orientation!” Theo objected.

  “Yeah, but we don’t need them to know how to salute or how many criminal statues there are.” Miranda reasoned.

  His mouth worked as he continued to sputter, but before he could articulate the innumerable problems he saw with putting a hodgepodge of inexperienced cadets into the field, Volka turned on her heel and glared at him.

  “At the moment all anyone needs is the knowhow to take a Tenebrae off her feet without killing her, and the courage to do so.”

  The way that her eyes were glowing made it absolutely clear that she wasn’t asking.

  “Yes D-Dominar.” Theo stammered and awkwardly bowed at her without really understanding why.

  “I’ll have the instructors shift their training towards take-downs.” Kavanaugh promised; “We’ll get it done, Dominar.

  “Good. Also inform them to expect a lot more students. Because when those volunteers start pouring in, we’ll need to get them organized somewhere.”

  The way that she was rattling off orders one after another made even Nameless nervous, half-expecting her to round on him and do the same even though he was still helping Ophelia.

  “What makes you so sure there will be so many volunteers?” Miranda asked.

  Volka looked to the veteran operative and gave her a weak smile.

  “Because if there aren’t, than we might just lose. So call it faith, Miranda.”

  At least one good thing came of the attack, if it could even be called ‘good’: no more was there any doubt that they were at war.

  Wealth and influence proved a poor barrier against the Ogres, and the affluent amongst the city had suffered as much as anyone.