He did not reply.
When they were three-quarters of the way down the stone path, Kai stumbled out of the house with Mary, a worker at Chesterfield who was wiping her hands nervously on her apron.
“Ansel! Morvyanns approaching!”
“I already informed him. Three in total. We are trying to decide on a course of action,” Delia said, stopping at the gate.
“Three!” Kai’s face fell. “Do we have enough Sumrects?”
“Well, I’m not sure—”
“Yes, we do.” Ansel gave Delia a meaningful stare, his voice firm and composed. “Delia and I will take on one. Our Sumrects can contain the other two. To minimize damage, we must keep them as close to the forest as possible. These Morvyanns do not target humans, but Phyon should still be prepared. Kai, I need you to find Basil Brighton. Tell him we are under attack, and the Sumrects will do their best to keep the Morvyanns at bay. Tell him to inform the residents and take the necessary precautionary actions. He will know what to do.”
“Yes, sir!” Kai gave a hearty salute. He seemed eager to be useful.
“Mary,” Ansel said to the trembling woman, “will you please make sure workers at Chesterfield abandon their duties immediately and return to their families? I’ve already given the evacuation signal. They should be aware.”
“Of course!” Mary nodded frantically.
Ansel laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder and smiled. “Thank you, Mary. Do not be afraid, Morvyanns cannot detect humans. No harm will befall you and yours as long as I’m around.”
Dawn marveled at his aplomb.
“I trust you,” Mary said in a shaky voice, but she appeared less rattled as she headed back to the house.
“Now…” Murmuring to himself, Ansel threw a hand into the air. Auroras were extremely difficult to see during the day, but amazingly, conspicuous waves of bright green and purple rippled through the sky—his signal.
“Lorenzo and his crew will know where to meet us,” he assured Delia, whose face was filled with worry.
“Ansel, are you sure you’ll be fine with that arm?”
He tapped the arm hanging limp at his side and chortled. “Morvs can’t even detect it. And perhaps you have forgotten… I was trained to fight Morvyanns.”
“How could I forget?”
“Then do not be concerned, Delia. It’s not the Morvyanns that worry me. It’s the why. Why would Vance send them? At this time?”
“Dawn…” He turned to her. “You must come along with me. I can’t leave you here. My brother’s primary aim in launching the Morvyanns is to draw me away from Chesterfield—away from you.”
I’m the one endangering everybody again, she thought bitterly.
As if he read her mind, Ansel quickly said, “Please don’t think any of this is your fault. Vance is driven by hatred toward me.”
“Can I help?”
A look of consternation fell upon his features.
“I’m not sure what Morvyanns are, but from what I’ve heard you say, they don’t target humans, right? If Basil Brighton can help, so can I.”
“No,” he said flatly. “Basil Brighton works for me, and he is experienced.”
Is he afraid I’ll mess him up in action?
“Not that I don’t think you’re capable,” he added, “but the best way for you to help is by staying close to me. Do nothing rash… nothing that draws attention to yourself. Understand?”
Dawn was growing frustrated with being treated like an invalid. Just stand there and don’t do anything stupid. Just stay at Chesterfield and don’t risk getting caught. Right.
She wanted to fight back. She needed to fight back.
But she put on her most innocent expression. “Yes, I understand.”
Eyes latched onto hers, Ansel sighed. “I hope so…” He extended his left hand to her. “Grab on tight.”
This time, she took it without hesitation. The familiar tingling sensation spread through her body as her feet lifted off the ground. Behind them, Delia also ascended into the air.
She can fly too. Dawn recalled Ansel’s comment about Delia being an unusually powerful Sumrect. No wonder he left Chesterfield in her control.
When their bodies paralleled the ground, she stole a quick look at Ansel. Collected and concentrated, his lips compressed into a thin line while his brown hair ruffled in the wind. Despite heading into certain peril, she felt peaceful, as if nothing in the world could hurt her; she had to admit, his presence did make her feel exceptionally protected.
The world disappeared, leaving the two of them secluded in the atmosphere, moving as one, his broad shoulder and powerful arm brushing against hers on occasion. Suddenly, she wished they were flying to a much further destination instead.
I wonder if he had ever taken Amber flying.
The thought stole into her mind midway across town. Dawn was surprised, if not somewhat ashamed, to sense a sudden sting of jealousy.
Of course he had! And what’s wrong with that?
She tried to ignore the unpleasant feeling but found it quite difficult.
“Have you ever heard of Morvyanns?”
Ansel’s question woke her to reality.
“Never. Vance never talked about them, at least not in my presence. What are they?”
“Morvyanns are essentially automated killing machines powered by Etherian forces. Although they can operate from air when necessary, they dwell primarily underwater, barely detectable like submarines, until they are ready to strike. Programmed to decimate Sumrects, each vessel contains hundreds of Morvs, which are highly intelligent robots whose only goal is to terminate their assigned targets.”
“If they are automated, how can they distinguish one target from the next? Wouldn’t they end up killing innocent Sumrects by mistake?”
“That has happened before during warfare on Panatomius. Because of the automation, they caused unfathomable damage. Most were designed to attack every Sumrect except the specially marked ones.”
“But that means they can’t distinguish the enemy from the regular civilians.”
The grim expression on Ansel’s face showed his disapproval of these machines. “And you are exactly right. Many innocent, unmarked Sumrects who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time were killed.”
He swerved left to avoid a few tall buildings. Gripping his hand, Dawn mirrored his motion.
“You fought Morvyanns in the past?”
“Hundreds,” he said. “In fact, most of the time, I was trying to stop them from being used at all. You know, Sumrects, especially those with great power—and thus, in power—would go to any length to achieve their end, even if it meant endangering millions of civilians. Luckily, after much persuasion, my father banned their production and use on Panatomius… but only after too many lives had been lost…”
“Looks like Vance missed the memo.” She gripped his hand tighter.
Ansel laughed, glancing at her sideways. “No, he was never one to get the memo.”
With his free hand, he gently untangled a brown feather from Dawn’s hair.
“Watch where you’re going. Don’t be ogling at each other just yet!” Delia shouted from behind.
Dawn’s cheeks flushed. She had completely forgotten about Delia until now.
“Yes, ma’am!” Ansel yelled back, eyes twinkling strangely. He pulled her closer and veered left again.
That was when she first spotted the Morvyanns.
One could not miss them. Under the glistening ocean water loomed the shadows of three massive, whale-like vessels about the size of cruise ships. Roughly fifty Sumrects gathered on the beach, waiting for Ansel’s arrival. Some glanced up and waved.
“Worse than expected,” Ansel remarked, his gaze fixed not upon the three Morvyanns in the water but instead on the maritime forest behind the beach.
At first, Dawn could only see rows upon rows of trees. However, when they made a final turn, their problem became apparent.
Clad in b
rown to easily blend with the trunks, Vance’s soldiers hid within the forest.
“They want you,” Ansel whispered in her ear before they touched down among the Sumrects. As Nico, Winston and Blair strode up to greet them, Ansel seized her arms. “Please, promise me, do as I say. I will protect you. Promise me—”
“You have finally arrived! We caught your signal and came here at once!” Lorenzo slapped Ansel on his wounded shoulder, causing him to wince. Lorenzo did not seem to notice. Blair, on the other hand, eyed Ansel suspiciously. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing, Blair. Worried about the Morvyanns,” he replied in haste.
“Well, aren’t we all? Any bright ideas, Ansel?” Blair surveyed Dawn up and down, her lips bunched into a pout. Without waiting for a response, she cried, “You brought a human? What’s she doing here?”
Dawn swallowed uncomfortably. In a way, she welcomed the distraction, knowing she would not have been able to promise Ansel without lying.
“I’m Dawn,” she said curtly, “and I’m here to help.”
Ansel inhaled sharply. “No. She’s not. There’s no time to explain right now. We must prepare for the Morvyanns and the group of Crimson soldiers hiding in the forest, waiting for the appropriate time to attack.”
“What?” Lorenzo growled. “Tell me Quinn’s among them. I haven’t had a good fight with him in ages.”
If Vance handpicked the Phyon Sumrects, then Lorenzo and Quinn must have once been colleagues, Dawn thought.
“He is. Do not underestimate Quinn. The Morvyanns are merely a diversion. They are not after us. They are after Dawn. Vance wants to take her in as a prisoner, and I can’t allow that to happen. Lorenzo, Winston, Blair, and Nico, if anything happens to me and Delia, please keep her safe. Vance cannot get hold of her. Is that clear?”
“We’ll do our best to keep her safe,” Winston assured. Lorenzo and Nico both nodded in agreement.
Only Blair refused. She tossed her sleek long hair over her shoulders and crossed her arms. “Count me out. I’m not babysitting a useless human.”
“I don’t need protection from anyone, thank you. I can take care of myself.” Dawn was irritated that Ansel always had to treat her like a child.
“Dawn, please—”
A deafening blast of horn cut Ansel off mid-sentence. The ground rumbled with vibration as three Morvyanns with flat tops and full bellies emerged from the ocean water, sending enormous waves crashing to shore. The Sumrects fell silent, and all except Ansel, Lorenzo and Blair stared at the approaching mammoth vessels with worried faces. Blair looked back and forth between Ansel and Dawn while Lorenzo rubbed his hands in anticipation.
“Come on, open them up, babies,” he said.
The beached Morvyanns remained dormant.
Completely unfazed by an adversary he had defeated countless times before, Ansel kept his back to the vessels. He gave Dawn one long, hard look, which she ignored, before addressing the Sumrects.
He said in a full, steady voice, “Friends, the machines before you will begin launching Morvs within the minute. Our job is to contain them on the beach, away from town. Unfortunately, Vance’s soldiers, have stationed themselves near the back of the forest. Fortunately, they are few in numbers. Winston, will you take care of them?”
Winston nodded. “Leave them to me.”
“Good. Nico and Jarret, your Sumrects will take on the Morvyann furthest to the right. Lorenzo and Blair, I’ll leave the leftmost vessel to you two and those in your charge.”
“Yes, sir!” Lorenzo cracked his knuckles enthusiastically.
“I want to be with you and Delia,” demanded Blair.
The Morvyanns grumbled loudly. On each of their dark gray bellies, an amorphous hole materialized.
“Blair, I need you to help Lorenzo.” Ansel did not spare the vessels a glance.
“Don’t worry, Ansel. Let Blair help you, our Sumrects can handle this one just fine.” Lorenzo focused his gaze on the widening hole.
Something silvery waited inside.
“Fine.” Ansel finally turned to face their attacker. “Remember, even though the Morvs cannot see you, they can sense you. There are only two ways to stop the Morvyanns: Obliterate the vessels entirely when they are empty or shut them down by entering through their bellies. And always—” He paused. A deep blue light cloaked him just in time to deflect the first hit from a Morv still inside the vessel, waiting for the hole to widen enough to pass through. A crackling flare of electricity streamed down Ansel’s uninjured arm and burst from his palm. It struck the belly cavity, instantaneously vaporizing the foremost Morvs waiting.
“Remember to shield.” He finished his previous sentence as his shield fizzled out. “Get ready.”
On cue, Morvs spewed from the bellies of each Morvyann.
The silver creatures emitted hissing sounds as they marched forward. Their faces, like their bodies, were eerily smooth. A black band encircled each otherwise featureless, emotionless, oval head. Made to resemble human form, they moved upright on two feet, two arms wielding cylindrical machines that blasted out white flashes of light. The Sumrects on the beach heeded Ansel’s advice and shielded without delay. The color of their shields varied. Lorenzo, Blair, Nico and Delia, along with several other Sumrects, were each cloaked in a whitish glow while a majority of the Sumrects exhibited yellow shields of various intensity. A few were cocooned in red, which flickered unsteadily when white electricity from the Morvs’ weapons struck them again and again.
Only Ansel glowed a conspicuous blue, albeit not often. There was no need, Dawn observed; the silver soldiers rarely had a chance to fire at him before being vaporized. They could barely make it out of the belly.
“Will you let me have some fun with the Morvs? You are getting them all.” Blair pouted to Ansel, twirling her hair in her fingers.
“Please go help Nico. He needs it,” Ansel shouted while another row of Morvs disappeared into thin air.
“To your right!” Delia alerted Blair. A split second later, both of their shields sprang up. Electricity crashed into their protective barriers and sizzled.
With a chain of electricity balls, Blair annihilated the three unlucky Morvs who had just fired at them.
“But I want to be with you!” She walked up to Ansel and tugged at his sleeve, not at all engrossed in the fight.
Disgusted, Dawn was glad to see Ansel step away, ignoring Blair’s comment.
Suddenly, Ansel spun around as a concentrated ejection of white electricity grazed past his shield and struck the pine trees behind them.
“Dawn! Watch out!” he yelled.
The timber came crashing down on Dawn. All along the perimeter of the forest, trunks snapped in half. Apparently, Morvs from the rightmost vessel had advanced far enough onto the beach that their shots were able to reach the trees.
The timber fell in slow motion; slow enough for Dawn to jump safely out of its downward path. In the distance, she saw Ansel with an outstretched hand, as if he was holding something invisible in the air. When he let go, the tree behind her crashed to the ground. Their eyes met for a fraction of a second. Then he redirected his focus back to the advancing Morvs, not missing a beat.
Lorenzo’s crew had no trouble keeping up with the pace, but Nico appeared to be struggling. Ansel asked Blair, yet again, to assist Nico.
“Why me? Ask Delia.” Blair examined her nails.
He shifted to block a hit for her. “You can stay only if you focus on the task at hand.”
“Why do I need to focus when you are already taking care of everything?” Blair flicked her hair, sounding cheerier.
Dawn wanted to punch her.
“I’m not playing.” Ansel nodded to Delia, who pursed her lips and gave a loud, dissatisfied “humph!” before leaving to join Nico and Jarret.
With Delia’s help, Nico and his Sumrects forced the Morvs back far enough to where their shots could no longer strike the trees. Timely, Dawn thought as she smelled the first hin
t of smoke arising from the forest behind.
The Morvs continued to ooze out of the Morvyanns in orderly formation, marching in synchronicity.
Left. Right. Left. Right. A never-ending stream.
Before long, Dawn noticed a pattern in the way Morvs fired. They used their weapons continuously, yet never at exactly the same time. Although the Morvs were able to detect the Sumrects’ positions, if one could perceive the pattern, one would have a pretty solid grasp of when to shield and when to attack, thus gaining an advantage over the machine.
Observing Ansel fight, Dawn registered the ease and confidence with which he moved. He always stayed a fraction of a second ahead of the automated system, anticipating every move from each silver creature. In most cases, the Morvs could barely make it out of the vessel before he vaporized an entire row.
I wonder how many Morvyanns he had fought in the past, she thought.
In just fifteen minutes, the Morvyann Ansel and Blair had been combating ceased to release Morvs, and the hole in its belly shrunk to a close. The now emptied vessel remained motionless. Its massive form cast a menacing shadow over the beach.
Dawn swept the scene with her eyes. Some Sumrects had fallen and were being helped by those nearby. From the frequently flashing red and yellow shields, she could tell the less powerful Sumrects were growing weary while the Morvs sustained their assault, as relentless as ever.
The farther the faceless soldiers ventured from their vessel, the more viciously they attacked and the more difficult it became to halt and destroy them. A thought flashed into her mind: What if they fed on Sumrect power, growing stronger with each strike? Is that why Ansel said to only destroy the vessel when it was empty of Morvs?
She felt ridiculously useless, standing amidst the chaos and fallen trees, not having a clue how to help, how to contribute to the effort. She could only watch and study the Morvs closely to find, if anything, an opportunity for her to be useful.
A gentle hand on her shoulder made her jump. It was Ansel. He looked at her with concerned eyes. “Are you okay?”
She nodded quickly. “What about you?”
“Never been better.”
“Looks like we are done with this one. What now?” Blair bounced over to join them.
The Eye of Elektron: A Clean Urban Fantasy (The Sumrectian Series Book 1) Page 12