Etheric Apocalypse

by C M Raymond et al.

  Arryn smiled as the pain and rage turned into deliriousness. She felt power coursing through her—all she had to do was release.

  “Run, Parker and Amy. Run as fast as you can.” Her voice was low and full of warning.

  “What? I’m not leaving you,” Parker responded.

  Laughter escaped her, echoing off the walls. “Oh, I’ll be just fine. It’s them you should worry about.”

  Arryn could feel the change in Parker the moment her laughter met his ears.

  “What? No! We’re not leaving,” Amy shrieked. Her voice sounded strained, like she was putting up a fight. She imagined Parker was dragging Amy out.

  “Oh, yes we are. I’ve seen that kind of crazy before. Let’s just say I know a girl just as mad. If we don’t go now, she could kill us both,” Parker quickly argued.

  Corrine, Arryn sent out again.

  Just tell me what to do.

  “You think you’re getting out of here? No. We’re going to watch you slowly die. Those spikes are covered in poison. Not sure how you’re fighting it, but it’ll take you soon enough. And those kids? They’ll be long dead. You’ll live just long enough to hear the screams as they die.”

  Arryn laughed again as the pain and blood loss only increased her rage. “Poisons are made from nature you moron. I’m a fucking druid!”

  Like I said… Change of plans. I’m about to bring this whole fucking side of the castle down to the ground. Send Bast and Cleo—now. Send the army to the front. As soon as this bitch starts to quake, the soldiers will come running.

  Are you sure that’s a good idea? Corrine asked.

  Arryn twisted her hands as fireballs burst to life in each. Oh, I’m very sure. Use your powers to find those who have good hearts—destroy the rest. Get ready. This is going to be one hell of a show.

  The torches along the wall gave off just enough light to show the shock on the guards’ faces. The power inside of her quickly overpowered the pain, and she smiled one last time. “I’m getting out of here. I’m getting every last one of those innocents out of here, too. Too bad you won’t live to see just how epic this will be. You shouldn’t have blocked your only exit, boys.”

  Her entire body flexed as the fire in her palms rapidly engulfed her from head to toe while hovering just an inch or two away from her skin. The bright orange and red turned to blues and purples as it burned hotter and grew larger.

  With a scream, Arryn thrust her hands forward, sending the massive fireball hurtling down the hallway. It was impossible to escape since it reached from wall to wall and ceiling to floor, and it burned hot enough to turn bones to ash.

  She didn’t bother to wait around for them to scream and die. Her eyes flashed obsidian as her magic engulfed her once again, trembling as it imploded and transported her directly below. Magitech rifles were raised.

  “Fire!” one of the guards shouted.

  Arryn pushed her physical magic out as a barrier wrapped around the innocents. The cloud of magic deflected the shots, sending some of them back toward the men shooting. Without the spikes stuck in her body and plugging the holes, Arryn knew she’d bleed out if she didn’t move fast.

  Taking a deep breath, she allowed her magic to swell again. This would be her final showdown, and she hoped the twins moved fast. Magitech rifles turned on her as she whipped her hands to the sides, telekinetic energy throwing the guards back against the walls as she rushed toward the barrier.

  She fell to her knees inside as the pain began to come back. Now or never, she thought.

  Bast, Cleo, she sent out. HURRY!

  “Everyone hold on!” Arryn shouted before planting both hands firmly on the ground.

  Everything around them began to quiver and shake. Lamps and torches began to fall from the walls, and the men struggled to stand before hitting the ground again. The vibrations increased as stones from the ceiling above began to crumble and fall. Each one hit the barrier and rolled off.

  “I promise,” Arryn said as sweat dripped into her eyes. “We’ll get you out of here. All of you!”

  The few adults present grabbed the children closest to them and covered their eyes. Arryn screamed as she forced another blast of power outward. The world became impossibly loud as the walls began to cave in. She could feel the evil men and women in that side of the castle scurrying about on the floors above as the walls and floors began to cave in on them.

  You’ll never enslave and hurt anyone again, she thought as several thousand tons of stone collapsed on top of them.

  “Shit!” Bast called out as she felt the vibrations shaking the ground.

  “She’s not seriously bringing the whole thing down, is she?” Cleo asked as they picked up speed.

  “Sure as hell feels like it. She’s probably used too much magic. She’ll need us to dig them out.”

  Bast, Cleo. HURRY! Arryn called out. Bast could feel the fatigue and the pain echoing through Arryn as she called out to them.

  Without another word, Bast clenched her jaw and sent more power flowing through her legs. The length of her strides tripled, and Cleo matched her every step. As they closed in on the castle, the back wall began to buckle.

  “There it goes!” Cleo shouted.

  The wall completely caved in, sending quakes through the ground hard enough to bring anyone to their knees—but not the twins. Every stride was calculated and timed to work with the vibrations instead of against them.

  “We won’t have long to move the stones,” Bast shouted. “I’ll crush ‘em; you move ‘em.”

  “Got it!” Cleo said.

  Rushing forward, Bast planted her right foot hard on the ground before propelling herself in the air. As she flew over the worst of the rubble, she allowed her magic to surround her. She came down hard, sending a wave of power that crushed all non-organic material to gravel or even powder.

  She grunted as she leaped into the air again. Physical magic radiated around her and from below, and she looked down to see all the rock and sand lifting out of her way. Once again, Bast thrust herself down hard, her power destroying anything made of earth to make it light enough that Cleo could easily move it out of the way without tiring out before the job was done.

  Bast hesitated, allowing Cleo to clear more debris. She’d done a lot of damage and cleared several tons of destruction, but she didn’t want to hurt anyone by accident. As Cleo cleared more of the rubble, Bast saw light peeking through.

  “I think we found her!” she shouted up to her sister.

  Cleo jumped down into the twenty feet deep hole they’d created to look at what Bast saw. “Let’s get them out of there.”

  Guys, I’m on my way! Corrine sent. The army is battling the duke’s soldiers. Parker is out and safe. I’m coming to help you pull them out.

  Bast and Cleo worked in tandem, as they moved rock and wood. They had no idea how much longer Arryn could hold the barrier, but if it fell, they didn’t want to make things worse.

  More light shone through the rubble, and they knew it was Arryn’s barrier. They were almost there. As long as the rest of the foundation held, they would be able to get the innocents out of there. Vines began to pour in from several different directions, startling them, even though they knew to expect it.

  Bast turned to see Corrine standing at the edge of the hole, her neon green eyes lighting up the area as her arms extended at her sides. The three of them worked together to clear the area, and soon, they had a safe space to work from.

  Looking down into the dungeon, Bast saw Arryn in the center of the barrier holding the hands of two very young children, one on either side of her. All three of them with eyes as black as coal. There were two adults kneeling and wrapping cloth around her legs while another child held Arryn tight around the waist from behind. Arryn looked up and gave a weak, relieved smile.

  “She’s gonna pass out!” Corrine said.

  Bast gasped as a wave of warm energy passed through her. It was meant for Arryn, but it washed through the twins on its way t
o its target. Corrine used vines to lower herself next to Bast and Cleo as she healed Arryn with her life touch—her long-distance healing. She was the only druid with that kind of healing strength.

  The barrier slowly dropped, and Bast and Cleo used their power to secure the area around Arryn and the others. As long as they hurried, nothing else would topple, and the others would be safe without the barrier.

  Once the barrier had dissipated, vines began to reach inside the dungeon and pull the children and adults free. By the time everyone was safe on the ground above and Arryn was healed, Corrine was all together spent.

  “Thank you,” Arryn said as she pulled Corrine in for a hug. “You did amazing.” She kissed the girl on the forehead.

  “And thank you,” one of the freed prisoners said. “Had it not been for you, we would have died.”

  Arryn yawned unexpectedly and smiled. “Hey, I had some help. I think I could have lasted holding that barrier alone until help arrived, but I truly believe it would have killed me. Your twins saved my life. Several of you did. The moms tying tourniquets around my legs. The little girl who held me tight to keep my stomach from bleeding out. You guys all helped. We were a team.”

  She looked down at the six-year-old twin boys, one with icy blue eyes and the other with emerald green. Otherwise, they were identical. She smiled and gave them a wink. It seemed that magical twins were very powerful. She hoped they would grow strong and never let anything taint their pure little hearts.

  “I didn’t even know they could do that,” the mother whispered. “I don’t know how that happened.”

  Arryn took a few wobbly steps toward the mother. “Fear. They were terrified; I could feel it. When I first started using magic, my emotions were what drove me. Corrine, my daughter, was the same. They were scared and wanted to protect their mom. When they felt my magic, they probably just copied it. I would guess they’ve known how to do a few things for a while but hid it from you. I’ve seen it before. When kids are different, they don’t know how to tell people.”

  The mother nodded. “Well, now that I know, I want to help them however I can.”

  “There aren’t many magic users where you’re from, but there are a few. Seek them out. They need mentors who are also good people. The more you know, the less likely you are to ever be taken advantage of again. Just support them and let them learn. They’ll take care of the rest.”

  A tear fell down the woman’s cheek as she reached out to hug Arryn. She hissed in pain but squeezed the woman anyway. When she backed away, Bast picked her up, bridal style.

  “Excuse me,” Arryn said, fighting another yawn.

  Bast laughed. “I could crush you right now, you wimp. Just shut up and let me help you.”

  “Yes, Mom,” Arryn said as she laid her head on Bast’s shoulder.

  “You’re a sarcastic asshole,” Bast said.

  “I’m sorry, is there another way to be?”

  Cleo laughed. “Not one that isn’t boring as hell.” She turned to Corrine, and her eyes narrowed. “Have you looked at yourself lately? What have you done to those braids?”

  The young woman lifted her hands to touch the box braids that were done only a week before. Since they’d met, Cleo and Corrine had been very close. The Kemetian woman was almost like an older sister to the young druid. Cleo had taught Arryn how to take care of and manage Corrine’s textured hair, but ultimately, Cleo had bonded with the little girl during the process. Since then, it was Cleo who always braided Corrine’s dark, curly hair.

  “Oh,” Corrine said. “I guess they got a little messed up.”

  Cleo sighed. “Guess what we’re doing tomorrow?”

  “Hey!” Cathillian said as he rode up on Snow’s back. Echo called out from above. “Is she okay?” He pointed to Arryn.

  “She is fine,” Arryn said. “She is just tired. She is also being treated like a child—but I’m too tired to complain.” Her head once again flopped over on Bast’s shoulder.

  “I healed the worst of her wounds, but I saved what was left of my magic for the others. Do we have injured?” Corrine asked.

  Cathillian nodded. “A few died, a few were badly injured, but most were only mildly wounded. I took care of the worst. They’re still in a lot of pain, but they’ll live. Now that I know everything is okay here, we can go take care of everyone we can.”

  “Where’s Parker?” Arryn asked. “Did he make it out okay?”

  “He’s fine. He and a former guard are helping triage people,” Cathillian said. “I think everything is good. I managed to convince everyone not to fight to kill. We took down who we could with as little violence as possible, but some still died.”

  “I knew you were in trouble, so I didn’t want to stand there looking into minds when I knew you needed me,” Corrine said.

  Arryn smiled. “It’s fine. It seemed like everything turned out okay. I assume the rest of the guards are in chains?”

  Cathillian nodded. “Yes. Chains. Vines. Rope. Whatever we could find.”

  “Good. We’ll let the people know who is worth setting free, and who will rise against them if they get a chance. They can hold their own trials and punish them the way they see fit. Then… I want a nap.”

  Chapter Ten

  She’d not set the Unlawful down once over the five long days of flying and now, with New Romanov on the horizon, Hannah wanted nothing more than to feel solid ground beneath her feet.

  She glanced over her shoulder and saw Vitali sitting dutifully in the jump seat behind her, silently watching their course. If she had learned nothing else about Lynqi over the past two years, it was that they were impossibly faithful, sometimes to a fault.

  Exhaustion pulled at his eyes, and she could only wonder how she looked, not having the benefit of fur to cover her tired face. Hannah had the blood of Bethany Anne—the Matriarch—running through her veins, but as far as she knew she was still human. It had taken a lot to learn how to fly Elon's ship, and phenomenal concentration to stay behind the controls day and night. Her furry friend had learned enough to take short shifts so she could catch a few winks, but fighting Skrima from beyond Irth was nothing compared to flying the behemoth.

  "We're almost there," she said with another quick glance over her shoulder.

  "Not soon enough." Humor had all but left Vitali.

  As they neared the city, Hannah looked down at the intricate control panel. Aysa had given her a crash course in flying the Unlawful—how to maintain altitude and to steer the beast through the clouds, but the urgency of Ezekiel's mission had somehow gotten in the way of the most important part of the lesson: landing the beast.

  "Um... Vitali?"

  He only shrugged. "Don't look at me. I had a hard enough time keeping it going straight."

  With the details of the city walls coming into view, she grabbed the stick between her legs and said a prayer. After years of survival on the battlefields of Irth, she refused to believe that her end might come from trying to land the largest piece of magitech ever to grace the world.

  "Here goes nothing," she muttered.

  She pushed the stick forward and the nose tilted toward Lilith's city. At first, the Unlawful eased its way toward the ground, but little by little it picked up speed as the thrusters and gravity worked in unison to push the machine toward the surface.

  "Shit. Vitali!"

  The Lynqi launched from his seat and crouched next to her, scanning the controls, looking for some sort of reasonable way to slow their descent. Hannah racked her brain, trying to remember the times she'd watched Gregory land Team BBB's ship, but frankly, with everything she’d had to pay attention to—not to mention a captain and co-captain always at the controls—she'd never paid much attention.

  Delegation’s a bitch, she thought.

  She looked toward New Romanov, which was rising to meet them quickly. That was when she saw their salvation.

  You better be ready for this, she sent through mental magic.

  Hannah gave Vita
li's arm a squeeze. "Don't worry. I'll be right back. I promise."

  Her eyes blazed cosmic red, and the Arcadian magician vanished from the cockpit. The last thing she heard was the Lynqi muttering a curse in an ancient tongue from the East.

  "Damn it, Aysa, pull up!!" Gregory screamed as he watched his precious piece of machinery plunge toward Irth.

  You better be ready for this, he received in his mind, just before he heard a voice say, "She's not going to hear you."

  Gregory spun and found himself face to face with the friend he hadn't seen in almost two years. "Hannah!"

  "Miss me?" She glanced skyward. "Don't answer that now. You have some work to do."

  Wrapping both arms around his narrow waist, she focused Etheric energy on the task at hand, and with a crack of thunder, they disappeared, leaving nothing but a wisp of smoke where they had just stood.

  As quickly as they had vanished, the two reappeared at the controls of the Unlawful. Hannah shoved Gregory into the captain's chair and glanced out the windshield, seeing the center of the city getting uncomfortably close.

  "Fly this bitch, G," she shouted.

  Gregory's connection with the machine took over. His hands flew across instruments, and finally, he pulled the stick back, steering the machine up and away from New Romanov with only seconds to spare. Her nose hardly cleared the tower in the central piazza.

  "No problem," Gregory sputtered, laughing.

  Vitali sighed from behind them. "Amen."

  Hannah leaned in and tousled his hair. "I see you still got it, hotshot."

  Gregory's hands moved again, this time more slowly and even more fluidly. The Unlawful pivoted on its tail, turning for the spot just outside the city that Gregory had found on their first visit to the city in the Archangelsk province.

  The machine lurched forward, glad to have its real pilot back at the controls.

  He patted the dashboard. "She is to me like Sal is to you. We’ve got a special connection." He glanced up at his friend. "It's good to see you, Hannah."