Reborn Raiders (The Weatherblight Saga Book 4)

by Edmund Hughes

“It is him, Lord Stoneblood,” confirmed Eva.

  Ari exhaled through his teeth. “Well, it changes nothing about our plan just yet. We wait, let them approach, and force them to fight through the tree fence.”

  The army drew near enough for Ari to also see Diya clearly, though his face was obscured by the distance. He wore the same impressive suit of black plate armor that he’d had on when Ari had first encountered him, back when he’d just been an unusually persistent mesmer. He wore no helmet, and his blond hair was cropped short.

  A second figure on a rune sled broke off from the army’s main force and walked up alongside Diya. Ari recognized Lady Prestia more from the dress she wore, one she’d borrowed from Kerys, rather than from her physical features. She and Diya exchanged a few words, and then she began walking forward.

  “I could kill her, chala,” said Rin. “She’s a traitor. Why not strike her down as soon as she comes within range?”

  “Don’t,” said Ari. “She might be a traitor, but she did exactly what we wanted her to last night. Besides, we need to stall for as much time as we can if we want the weather to shift.”

  Rin made a low, growling noise. “Once we’ve won, then. I will have my time with her, chala.”

  Lady Prestia came to a stop within shouting distance, showing a remarkable amount of composure given the weapons Ari and the others had on display. She waved an arm, as though she didn’t already have their attention, and cleared her throat.

  “Lord Stoneblood,” she called.

  “Lady Prestia,” replied Ari, in his most cordial voice.

  “Emperor Diya wishes a temporary promise of peace for the two of you to negotiate,” said Lady Prestia. “I assure you, if you listen to what he has to say and accept the offer he proposes, all of you within Etheria may leave with your lives.”

  “I’ll hear him out,” called Ari.

  Lady Prestia raised an eyebrow, as though she hadn’t expected him to agree so easily. She was a very pretty woman, with straight auburn hair, curvaceous features, and an attractive if sweetly plump face. She’d have power amongst the Sai upon returning to their capital, which from Ari’s reading of her was what she desired most in the world.

  “I know that you and your friends are good, if stubborn, people,” called Lady Prestia. “I shall put in a positive word for you. I see no reason why you all could not end up as slaves in welcoming houses, where you can thrive and associate almost as you do here in Etheria.”

  “That’s very kind of you,” said Ari, with a generous roll of his eyes.

  Lady Prestia gave a small, hesitant nod, and then quickly made her way back to the rear of the army. When she’d rejoined the rest of the group, Emperor Diya started forward in her place, gliding at a walking pace on his rune sled, which he rode standing up.

  Ari silently cursed the fact that he hadn’t thought to bring his own with him earlier, but it wouldn’t have served much purpose given how stationary their defense setup was. He kept his head held high as he slowly closed his half of the distance to the no man’s land in between the invading army and Etheria, one hand resting on the hilt of his basic enchanted longsword.

  Ideas churned through his head as he came close enough to see Diya’s face and to look into his eyes. What would happen if he killed the Saidican Emperor, right there and then? He might be able to do it if he surprised the other man, attacking with the sword he currently had while summoning Azurelight into his free hand.

  What then? If it were even possible, which Ari doubted based on his experience with Diya, there was no guarantee that it would have the same effect as cutting off the head of a snake. The minds of the men in Diya’s army would turn toward revenge, not surrender. He’d be caught out in the open, unable to make it back to the safety of Etheria’s tree fence.

  Unless… He took Diya’s rune sled. The plan was gaining momentum in his head as he drew within ten feet of the Saidican Emperor, saw the smile on his face, and decided it would be better to consult the Ring of Insight before making any attempt at fighting a warrior with such a confident expression in an open duel.

  “Lord Stoneblood,” said Diya. “It is good to see you again, though as often seems to be the case, I find myself wishing it were under different circumstances.”

  The Ring of Insight gave its answer. He couldn’t kill Diya without the help of the Weatherblight, which was about what he’d figured.

  “Emperor Diya,” said Ari. “I couldn’t agree more. It’s never too late for us to change the current circumstances, however. I’m glad you had the wisdom to open negotiations before attacking. There’s no need for us to fight.”

  Diya gave a small nod, not pronounced enough to be agreement, more an acknowledgment of having heard him. He looked past Ari for a moment, and his eyes settled on one of the companions behind him.

  “That boy behind you,” said Diya. “That’s Virgil Arestes. Son of Lord Kolin Arestes, the famous relic hunter.”

  Diya waved to Virgil from where he stood. Ari risked a glance over his shoulder, noting the way Virgil’s posture stiffened, but also the fact that he didn’t wave back. He breathed a sigh of relief, realizing part of him had been expecting another defection from his ranks.

  “I can do little more than lament how much of my Empire still lies scattered,” said Diya. “We’re a skeleton of what we once were, a collection of people bonded to the Soul Engine who happened to be close enough to Central Dominion to make it to shelter under the specter of the Weatherblight. I should have expected that you would offer safe harbor to the Sai you found.”

  “You sound almost grateful,” said Ari.

  “I am grateful,” said Diya. “Lord Stoneblood, I am not here out of spite. I am here because your knowledge may be the key to securing the future of the Sai.”

  Ari almost laughed. “My knowledge? That’s all you care about, isn’t it? Your precious Soul Engine. Are you afraid to die, Diya?”

  A dangerous glimmer flickered through Diya’s eyes. “The Soul Engine, and the knowledge of how to control the Weatherblight. You aren’t stupid, Lord Stoneblood. You must see how much the things you know could improve the state of the world if applied on a mass scale. I do not see you as a threat, but as a resource.”

  “Not a threat?” he asked. “That’s why you show up with an army at your back? I suppose next you’ll try to tell me that they’re just your traveling entourage?”

  “Etheria is now under Saidican authority,” said Diya. “Some of these men will serve as my escorts back to Central Dominion. The rest will stay here, serving as stewards and guardians of the settlement and the surrounding lands.”

  Ari met the other man’s gaze and held it for long enough for the tension to feel thick and disruptive.

  “No,” he said. “I’m willing to give you what you want, Emperor Diya. I’ll help you rebuild your Soul Engine. Mud and blood, I’ll even do what I can to protect your city from the Weatherblight. But that’s all you get. Etheria is my settlement. It’s my home. I won’t let you have it.”

  Diya took several slow steps forward, drawing close enough for Ari to hear him whisper.

  “It is already mine,” said Diya.

  Ari’s hand moved before he was conscious of it. He attacked first with the enchanted longsword, drawing it from its scabbard and striking in the same movement. Diya drew his own greatsword with similar speed, blocking Ari’s strike as though he’d long been expecting it.

  Ari didn’t stop there. He kept spinning, letting go of the longsword to preserve what he could of his momentum as he summoned Azurelight. The sapphire sword appeared in his hands, slashing through thin air as Diya hopped just out of its range.

  The two of them stared at each other, both holding their weapons at the ready. How easy would it be to end it there and then, with a single duel between two men? Too easy.

  Diya was the one who stepped back, climbing onto his rune sled and making his retreat seem as aggressive as the sword exchange had. He glided back toward his army at fu
ll speed, and his men didn’t wait for him to close the entire distance before beginning their charge.

  “Mud and blood!” swore Ari. He scooped up the enchanted longsword, sheathed Azurelight in the hilt he still wore across his back, and took off at a dead sprint.

  CHAPTER 46

  Spells began striking to either side of Ari before he’d made it halfway back to the safety of the trees cordoning off the entrance to Etheria’s tunnel. Light and air wavered to his left as an invisible ball of force missed him by a few feet, and the spell’s aftermath was still enough to shake his balance. A ball of flame landed where he’d been an instant before, scorching the grass and emitting enough heat to make sweat bead on his forehead.

  The rest of his rather small army seemed eager to leave their positions and come to his aid. Ari waved a hand for them to stay where they were as he sprinted the last few feet. They had a plan and they desperately needed to stick to it.

  “Get ready!” he shouted, as he ducked through the branches. “Wait for the front line to close in. Let them come to us.”

  It was easier said than done. Ari tossed Azurelight into the air, and Eva returned to her incarnate form. Virgil stood furthest back, his hands splayed outward in concentration as he waited for the signal. Rin and her warriors, excepting Leyehl, were all poised to leap into the air and play their part. And Skinner…

  “Eh, anyone want a puff of this?” Skinner blew a cloud of sarkin flower smoke into the air, grinning his usual smile. “You’ve got some good stuff out here in the wild.”

  Ari resisted the urge to snap at the man, realizing that his cavalier attitude was probably more valuable, morale-wise, than having him remain silent. He wasn’t as aloof as he seemed, which was obvious from the way the fingers of his free hand twitched at the curved dagger at his belt.

  “Skinner, for each of the Sai you take down in this fight, I’ll have Durrien roll you a dozen smokes,” said Ari.

  Skinner scoffed. “That man does know how to roll a good smoke stick. Deal.”

  The approaching army shouted no war cry, but their foot falls formed an accelerating drum roll, announcing their arrival. Ari let them come. The front line of Sai warriors hit the trees hard, men wielding shields, swords, and maces, confident they could break through simple foliage.

  It was Virgil’s masterstroke that kept them from being rolled over in an instant. The branches of the trees shifted as the men rushed in, twisting and knotting around ankles, stripping loose weapons and defense. Ari and the others swept forward with the follow up, hacking the Sai to pieces while they were still off balance.

  A rough count told Ari that they’d afflicted about nine casualties, one full wave of their opponent’s army. Not nearly enough to win the battle, and they’d done it through the use of a trick that would only work once.

  “Now!” shouted Ari.

  He thrust his sword into the air and led his diverse attacking force forward. The Sai were already shifting tactics, as he’d been expecting them to. A fireball struck one of the trees as Ari and the others ran out into the open. Virgil’s role would be to hold back and maintain the tree fence, putting out flames however he could.

  The rest of them would target the Sai mages with the types of mystica that could threaten the trees. Rin and the Ravarians took to the air immediately, flying in a complicated swarm, intentionally trying to draw the attention of the spellcasters.

  Ari didn’t lead the rest of his army, those who would be fighting on foot, any further forward than was absolutely necessary to distract their enemy. It was just him, Eva, Skinner, and Leyehl. They were there as much to serve as bait as to be a proper offensive.

  Ari and Eva were slightly ahead of Skinner and Leyehl, given that the mild defensive capabilities of Ari’s Feathercloak and Eva’s ability to quickly shift into Azurelight and back gave them options against spells.

  The Sai attacking with conventional weapons were easier to deal with. Rin and her flock would dive into a flying charge whenever the Sai attempted one of their own, thinning their numbers with rushing spear strikes that diminished their ranks.

  A few would manage to slip by. Ari engaged a Sai warrior wielding a shield and longsword, knocking him back with a kick after their initial blade clench. Skinner rolled forward before the man could regain his balance, unconcerned with any sense of honor-based, battlefield decorum. He stood up inside the Sai warrior’s shield, made a rapid, jerking motion with his fist, and stepped back grinning as blood poured from half a dozen dagger wounds.

  Eva was untouchable. Ari wasn’t sure what other word could describe her, and he found himself thinking back to the reputation she’d apparently developed in Cliffhaven as the Sword Siren. Though, she wasn’t fighting with a sword at the moment, instead wielding the Feathermace with brutal precision.

  It didn’t matter if the Sai approached in pairs or even trios. It didn’t matter if they fought with sword, or shield, or spears. They all posed as much of a threat to Eva as blades of grass in the path of a newly sharpened scythe.

  She had that look on her face again. The one that Ari usually hated. The one that meant that she was close to losing herself, or perhaps remembering who she’d once been. Her face and clothing accumulated blood splatters as the Sai continued to charge to their doom.

  Eventually they seemed to realize that there were easier ways to deal with Eva rather than fighting her directly. The Sai turned their focus toward Ari, Skinner, and Leyehl, the latter of whom was still recovering from her mistreatment in Cliffhaven.

  Leyehl was a savage fighter, nearly Eva’s equal in her prime, and she wielded her spear with surgical precision. Unfortunately, her muscles were weak, and her movements were hampered by how reliant she’d once been on the small adjustments she could make with her wings.

  Ari severed a Sai’s hand loose from his arm on a backswing poised to bring a longsword down on Leyehl’s defenseless flank. He spun, blocking another strike intended for him and kicking the man responsible in the chest.

  “Fall back!” he shouted. “To the trees!”

  It was a retreat that came not a moment too soon. One of the Ravarians had taken a spell to the wing. Rin and the rest of her warriors had been forced to drop and surround him, abandoning their objective for the sake of saving the man’s life. A callous part of Ari’s logical mind wished they’d just write the loss off and keep doing what they needed to, but his empathy reminded him that Rin and her people had already lost more than he could ever have imagined.

  A few of the Ravarians remained airborne, swooping down to attack with their spears like dark, vengeful crows as the Sai continued to press forward. Ari and Leyehl fought on either side of the retreating group, fighting more as distractions rather than in any hope of stalling the oncoming army.

  One of the Ravarians in the air fell from a sword stab through the stomach. There was no chance of making it to him before he bled out, and several of his fellows let out furious cries as he slid off the sword of his opponent and fell to the ground in a pool of his own blood.

  Rin and her warriors had gotten the injured man back through the tree fence, but it was too late to do a turnabout and resume the battle from where they’d left off. The Sai mages were targeting their spells at any Ravarians who stepped out of the trees and attempted to take flight with malicious accuracy.

  Ari, Eva, Skinner, and Leyehl were still exposed, though the Sai had pressed in tightly enough around them to keep them from being easy targets. It was harder for them to fight on equal footing now. A few of the Sai had mysticas more suited for direct combat, enhancements to their speed or strength, and it was near impossible for Ari or his companions to do anything about them other than team up and hope for the best.

  “Lord Stoneblood!” came a familiar shout.

  Diya pushed two of his men aside, striding forward with his greatsword outstretched toward Ari’s heart. An empty moment seemed to follow in the wake of his shout. It gave Rin and a few of her warriors time to push out through
the trees and reinforce their line.

  Ari knew what the Emperor of the Saidicans wanted, and he was relatively certain that giving it to him would be in the best interest of Etheria. They needed more time, time for the wounded man to be moved down the tunnel and to safety. Time for the weather to shift. Time to reorganize themselves.

  Ari sheathed his enchanted longsword into the scabbard at his belt, summoning Azurelight to his hand somewhat begrudgingly. Taking Eva out of the fight was a tradeoff, one that he only made in the face of an otherwise certain defeat.

  Both sides hesitated in the face of the encounter set to take place, a microcosm of the battle up to that point. A self-proclaimed lord versus a centuries-dead emperor. It was a duel, and it was one that could be reduced to the essence of power and what determined the fundamental light to lead and to rule.

  The Sai and Etheria’s warriors both fell back a few paces, still fighting but in a more reserved, general manner. Space was given, a central circle in which both Ari and Diya stood across from one another. Diya wore his closed-faced black metal helm, and he slowly lifted his greatsword to the ready. Ari squeezed sweaty fingers around Azurelight’s hilt, his Feathercloak fluttering in the cold breeze.

  “You would risk fighting me.” Diya spoke it as a statement, rather than a question. “Commendable. You’ve glimpsed Mythril’s memories. You know me from your own experience. I can only imagine how highly you must regard your own abilities.”

  Light flashed across Diya, blue like lightning flashing over a still lake, then a yellow-orange with the intensity of the sun. Diya’s self-enhancement mystica could turn him into a juggernaut. Ari tried to swallow the lump in his throat as he pushed forward into what he suspected was a doomed offensive.

  Trying to get past Diya’s guard was like fencing against a psychic. His sword was ahead of Ari’s so far in advance that it almost seemed pointless. Whenever Azurelight struck Diya’s greatsword, it felt as though he’d tried to cut into an anvil, with the impact ricocheting back up the blade hard enough to make his hands hurt.