Kitania ripped through the air like an arrow or ballista bolt, buffeted by the high winds but not straying from her course, at least not until the phoenix circled behind the funnel of a tornado. She hesitated only an instant before twisting around, trying to intercept it on the other side of the funnel, grunting as a stray branch hit her in the midsection, but bounced off her armor and kept whipping through the air as it was drawn into the funnel.
A moment later, Kitania paused as she realized that the phoenix had vanished and frowned, halting as she quickly turned to look for it, only to be interrupted by a distant roar, barely audible over the howling wind that was almost deafening her.
In the distance, she could see the walls of the city, along with a massive breach where the hellfire worm had broken through them. There was rubble all around where it’d made its way into the city, and multiple buildings were on fire. On the other hand, the worm was surrounded by a wall of ice, and it was screaming, enormous wounds ripped into its back half. Nearby the creature was Alserah, and the goddess was shining, a glittering arrow of light on her bow and seven glowing arrows of pure energy hovered in midair around her before she loosed them.
The scream of an avian startled Kitania, and she recoiled abruptly as the phoenix suddenly burst out of the tornado itself, the creature’s wickedly curved beak lashing out at her. Kitania instinctively struck out herself, and the cloudpiercer’s tip bounced off the beak, jarring Kitania’s arms as she was shoved backward. An instant later, the creature’s eyes flashed purple, and lightning blasted out of the phoenix’s wings, discharging toward Kitania.
The spray of lightning slammed into Kitania’s spell, lighting up the runic shield as she grunted. A few flickers of the energy slipped through the shield, sending sharp pain and spasms through Kitania’s body, but the majority of the attack was repelled, just as Kitania had expected.
On the other hand, she was off-balance in midair and the wind around the storm phoenix was making her situation even more precarious. The phoenix screamed again, hurting Kitania’s ears, and she braced herself for pain as it lunged at her, it’s talons opening to rake her, and Kitania prepared to use her cloudpiercer to slam into its chest—
A concentrated blade of fire thirty feet long lashed through the air at that moment, slamming into the phoenix’s left wing, the flames blackening and igniting the feathers on the wing as the beast screamed in pain, obviously distracted. At almost the same time, Isalla lunged up from below, her sword gleaming with magic as she attacked the right wing. Kitania was able to spare an instant to wonder how the angel was flying so easily in the high winds, but she shook off the impulse as the phoenix spun, abandoning its attack on Kitania to get its wing out of harm’s way. Unfortunately for it, that also left the phoenix open to attacks, and Kitania reacted instantly, not worrying that she was off-balance as she shot forward.
The phoenix tried to dodge again as her weapon approached its eye, but even its maneuverability had its limits, and an instant later her blade slammed home, piercing deep into the phoenix’s skull. Then it began to convulse, and Kitania found herself being tossed about like a rag doll as it spiraled through the air, out of control as she desperately tried to hold on to the haft of her weapon.
With every convulsion, the cloudpiercer dug deeper into the phoenix’s skull, and Kitania yelped in pain as one particularly sharp spasm dislocated her right arm. She didn’t think she could keep hold much longer and wasn’t sure what to do.
“Kitania!” Isalla’s scream distracted her, and Kitania glanced behind herself instinctively, only to see the rapidly approaching wall of the castle, and her eyes widened, instinctively releasing her weapon.
A resounding crash echoed through the city as the storm phoenix hit the wall, and Kitania hit the road a second later, bouncing off the stones as sparks flew and she cursed internally. Rolling to her feet, Kitania harshly grabbed her right arm and yanked it back into the socket, hissing at the sharp pain as she looked toward the phoenix, her blood chilling as she saw it beginning to glow a bright purple.
“Everyone get away from it!” Kitania called out to the soldiers on the wall, marveling that the impact of the phoenix against the enchanted wall hadn’t shattered it, but also terribly afraid at the same time. The phoenix would likely explode any moment, then be reborn within minutes, and if they couldn’t get the heart in time, it would be a disaster.
Then she saw Rose almost fall out of the sky, Ember blazing as the angel held it in both hands and plunged it into the chest of the storm phoenix, the blade cutting through flesh and bone easily.
Fire erupted from the blade like a volcano, scorching everything but Rose as it burned deep into the monster’s chest, burning the feathers away in seconds. The glow around the phoenix died as it gave a last convulsion, then slumped heavily against the wall. All around them the storm began to die, and aside from the bells and the distant sounds of screaming and sobbing, the night was silent once again.
Rose stood up, reaching out to dislodge Kitania’s cloudpiercer from the phoenix’s skull, then turned toward Kitania, smiling in a way that made Kitania wince in embarrassment as she said, “You forgot this, Kitania.”
“It’s more like I didn’t have time to yank it out,” Kitania replied, letting out a soft sigh as she approached and took the cloudpiercer, wiping it off on the phoenix’s feathers, and smiled helplessly as she added, “Thank you. I wasn’t much good there, was I?”
Isalla landed nearby, and Kitania could see the funnels of the tornadoes slowly vanishing. Rose blinked at Kitania, looking surprised.
“Not much good? If it hadn’t been for you distracting the phoenix, there’s no way I could have hit it initially. Its reflexes were just too good. Even after injuring it, it probably could have avoided most of my attacks, so you stabbing it left it wide open for me,” Rose replied gently, shaking her head. “No, that wouldn’t have been easy without the help of both of you, if it was even possible.”
“If you’re talking about feeling useless, I think that belongs to me. I didn’t even hit the phoenix,” Isalla said unhappily, shaking her head. “Plus, the worm’s already dead, so we’re probably going to see Alserah and Vinara pretty soon. I think Alserah pretty much killed it on her own.”
“I’m afraid that you and I are essentially the weakest people here,” Kitania told Isalla, shrugging helplessly as she glanced around and added sympathetically, ignoring the elves atop the wall who were staring at them, “I mean, between Her Grace, Vinara, Rose, you, and me. I’m flattered that you think I helped a lot, Rose, but it doesn’t change the fact that my contribution was mostly as bait and taking advantage of the opening you and Isalla gave me.”
“Yeah, and you have the advantage of at least being immortal. I don’t like the idea of being so weak,” Isalla said, shifting unhappily from one foot to another.
It looked like Rose was about to speak, but Alserah appeared an instant later, no longer holding her bow as she glanced over at the phoenix. “Excellent work, all of you. The worm took a bit more killing than I’d hoped, but it fell easily enough. We don’t have much time to loiter, however, not with others attacking across the country.”
“What about Vinara? Is she alright?” Kitania asked, then almost bit her tongue at the look of jealousy that Isalla gave her, her headache growing still stronger. She was pretty sure that Vinara wasn’t interested in her anymore, but this wasn’t a good time for any discussion like that.
“Yes, she should be here any moment,” Alserah said, glancing back as she frowned, shaking her head as she murmured, “You’re all so slow.”
“Not everyone has the power of a deity or archangel,” Rose replied mildly, glancing at Alserah chidingly. “You might remember that, Your Grace.”
“Perhaps, but when my people are in danger, I lose a great deal of patience,” Alserah replied calmly, but there was the faintest hint of an edge to her voice that made Kitania wince. Fortunately, Vinara came into sight at that moment, her wings beating qu
ickly.
“I see you dealt with the phoenix, which is good. Those winds were obnoxious,” Vinara said, sounding a little breathless, but she was smiling as she came in for a landing. “I got a good reading of the direction the control is coming from, and—”
“Your Grace! Thank you for your assistance; the city was in grave peril until you arrived!” a man’s voice interrupted them, and Kitania looked over to see an elven man approaching quickly, wearing a crimson surcoat beneath a breastplate. He was heavily armed, and a crown was on top of his helm. Behind him were nearly twenty soldiers, all in fine armor that looked enchanted.
“Ah, King Rayvan, it’s good to see that you’re well,” Alserah said, smiling briefly, looking surprisingly pleased as she nodded. “I had wondered where you were; however, we have no time for formalities. Someone is controlling these monsters to attack us throughout the kingdom.”
“Truly? That’s terrible news!” the king said, paling as he straightened and asked, “What assistance can I provide, Your Grace?”
“Stay here and assist in restoring order. My companions and I must travel to Eldsyr immediately to find the perpetrator,” Alserah said, her gaze hardening. “There’s no more time to waste.”
“Of course, Your Grace! Our prayers travel with you,” Rayvan said and nodded to his soldiers.
“Good. All of you, let’s go,” Alserah said, and quickly started toward the teleportation chamber once more.
Kitania quickly followed, thankful that at least the pain from her shoulder was quickly subsiding.
Chapter 44
Haral swore softly, scowling as she looked at her bracelet in irritation. Out of the twenty glowing gems, six had already gone dark, which was incredibly frustrating. One had died quickly, which had been expected, considering she’d sent one after the palace, but she hadn’t expected it to die quite that quickly.
Two more had died relatively quickly, almost simultaneously, and after that the deaths had been farther apart. After a few moments, she murmured, “Either Alserah is moving faster than I thought she could, or the elves have stronger defenses than I believed.”
“Lady Haral?” Adrian asked, looking toward her with obvious concern. “Were you speaking to me?”
Haral and the others were atop the hill where she’d taken refuge, several of the other angels hiding in the case of an attack. All of them were armed, and the defensive formations were prepared, just to be safe. Considering the massive thunderhead swirling above Eldsyr to their northwest, Haral was glad that they had it prepared. While she didn’t think that any of the beasts they were using would break free of her control, it was best not to take any chances with them, especially should the storm phoenixes be killed and revive again. Haral wasn’t sure if that would break her control or not.
“No, I was just noting that more of the creatures have been killed by this point than I expected. I’m not sure what did it, but it’s best to be cautious,” Haral replied politely, smiling at the young man. It didn’t cost her anything, and having a devoted bodyguard wasn’t a bad thing.
“Ah, of course! I promise, no one will harm you without going through me first, milady!” Adrian replied, straightening and smiling, his hand going to the sword on his belt.
“I’m glad to hear that,” Haral said, her smile widening slightly.
At that moment, she noticed another gem flicker and die, and in the distance she saw the swirling clouds slow down. At the sight, Haral’s smile faded and she straightened, her hand going to her whip.
“Careful, everyone. It appears that someone killed our instrument in Eldsyr,” Haral said, and all the angels around her quickly drew their weapons.
Haral wasn’t sure if those who’d killed the storm phoenix would come after them, but she wasn’t going to underestimate them at this stage.
The storm phoenix fell from the sky, feathers flying in every direction. Alserah’s bow vanished as she stared down at the creature, and the shield Kitania had cast for her was still flickering from the lightning that it’d absorbed. The tiny amount of energy that had gotten through the shield had been absorbed by her armor, which was rather fortunate, and Alserah looked up to see her guests watching her.
Only Kitania and Vinara seemed unsurprised by how swiftly the phoenix had fallen, Alserah noted with satisfaction, which only made sense considering their background. Isalla and Rose were staring in far more disbelief, likely because they’d never seen a goddess use her power before. More importantly, focusing on the succubus, it looked like Vinara had gotten the information she needed.
Eldsyr had taken damage during the attack, but it hadn’t been nearly as extensive as what had been inflicted on Mist. The lack of a hellfire worm probably partly explained that, but Alserah had mixed feelings on seeing that most of the attacks by the storm phoenix had focused on the fortifications rather than on the city. It meant that casualties were likely much higher among the city’s defenders, but at least most of the common folk were safe.
With a few steps, Alserah descended to where the others were waiting, focusing on Vinara as she asked bluntly, “Well?”
“As I expected, the link was much stronger here. The source of the control is no more than ten miles in that direction,” Vinara said, pointing to the southeast unerringly, looking slightly grim. “I wish I could see more, but from this distance there’s only so much I can sense with the mana the phoenix stirred up in its attack. My apologies.”
“No apologies are necessary. While it’s possible my magi might have been able to track down these… individuals, I can’t be certain of that, and it certainly wouldn’t occur this quickly,” Alserah replied, turning to face the direction indicated as she concentrated. Despite her enhanced vision, she couldn’t see any sign of enemies, which frustrated her. It was still strange to not have pain every time her emotions welled up, but Alserah ignored her frustration, instead turning back to the others as she asked calmly, “Are you ready?”
“I can cast my defensive spells as we fly,” Kitania said, the demoness looking surprisingly calm under the circumstances, and her gaze was focused.
“I am,” Rose confirmed, then glanced back as she asked, “Do we need to inform the garrison of what we’re doing first?”
“No, Commander Northwind should have informed them by this point. Cutting off the head of the serpent is the priority,” Alserah said, resisting the urge to simply head toward the source of her people’s ailments. As much as she wanted to hurry, it likely was a trap.
“Ready to make some angels have a terrible day,” Vinara murmured, pulling out a green stone, a wicked grin on her face.
“As much as I can be. I’ll guard Vinara,” Isalla said unhappily, looking around the group and sighing. “I think it’s the best position for me.”
“Excellent,” Alserah replied, and without another word she stepped into the air, slowing her movement so that the others would have a chance to keep up. Fortunately, they quickly followed, and Alserah could hear the soft murmuring of Kitania and Vinara casting spells behind her.
They passed over the wreckage of the forest around Eldsyr, and Alserah’s mood darkened still more as she saw the fallen trees, some of them having landed on homes that were outside the city. Even if Eldsyr hadn’t taken the full brunt of attacks that Mist had, the goddess hated to think about how many of her people had been injured. It also enraged her still more, though she was doing her best to bottle up the rage, at least for the moment. Fortunately or not, she had centuries of practice at that.
Soon enough, they were past the region that the storm phoenix had focused on, and the forest was closer to normal, though all wildlife seemed to have fled or hidden, not that Alserah could blame the creatures. Before she’d gained her deific mantle she’d have fled from the monster as well.
A hint of pure white from ahead of her caught Alserah’s attention, and she stopped abruptly as her eyes narrowed. Atop a hill ahead of them were the figures of at least ten angels, and they were all armed and armored. I
n the center of the group was what Alserah believed was a blonde woman, and she felt her rage almost slip its leash as she nearly manifested her bow. After a moment of hesitation, she called it into being anyway, but she didn’t draw the string, not yet.
“Your Grace, have you seen something?” Rose asked politely, remaining surprisingly calm. Alserah appreciated that, since it helped keep her temper under control. The others were circling her, since only Kitania’s enchanted armor allowed her to easily hover.
“I see angels ahead of us,” Alserah said, pointing at them as she considered, then continued seriously. “I’m debating whether or not to give them a chance to explain themselves.”
“Angels?” Kitania asked, peering into the distance for a long moment, then the demoness admitted, “I… can’t see anything.”
“Mm… no, I don’t either,” Vinara said, and Rose silently shook her head.
“I see a couple of white dots… are those what you’re meaning, Your Grace?” Isalla asked hesitantly, banking to look in the direction in more detail.
“Yes, of course… I forget the limits that others have on their vision,” Alserah said, mentally chiding herself for the mistake. She took a deep breath, then continued. “There are ten of them, in armor and with weapons, and I believe it’s a blonde woman near the center of the group.”
“While I know I’m upset with anyone who might be behind the attack, I don’t think attacking without confirming that they’re at fault is a good idea. It might just make it harder to find whoever is behind this,” Rose said quickly, glancing over at Vinara as she asked, “Would you be able to tell if they have the item controlling the monsters?”
“If we get close enough, yes. Within, oh, half a mile should do it. I can’t see anything from this distance,” the succubus replied unhappily, glancing at Alserah as she apologized. “I’m sorry, Your Grace.”
“No, your help is appreciated. We’ll approach, then, and if they’re at fault, I’ll do everything I can to destroy them,” Alserah said, barely keeping herself from hissing in anger. She started forward again abruptly, not waiting for their replies, though they agreed belatedly, and instead she quickly approached, fingers on the string of her bow.
Mortal Gods (Mantles of Power Book 2) Page 38
