Death Cloud: The Senturians of Terraunum Series (Book 2)

by R. J. Batla

  Sonora nodded. “What do you need?”

  “A volunteer.”

  She screwed up her courage. “I’ll do it.”

  “Sonora, the risk is enormous. We don’t even know if we can do it,” Josey said.

  “I said I’ll do it, so let’s go. Let’s save him.”

  Josey stared her down but nodded, and Frank, Jim, and Jack put one hand on Sonora and one on Josey, and then Sonora’s heart was ripping in two.

  She didn’t think it was her actual heart, but she let out a scream as it felt like every part of her was literally being torn in half inside her body – her mind, her lungs, her thoughts – everything. The pain was incredible, every nerve screaming for release and relief.

  Just as suddenly, the pain went down to a dull numbness, and she opened eyes she hadn’t realized she’d closed. She was hugging herself, and her whole face was wet with tears, her throat sore from screaming. “Did...did it work?”

  Frank looked at her, then looked down at Royn. “You’re both alive, so yes. Great job, Josey.”

  “So – you just...”

  Josey nodded. “Basically ripped everything that is you in two and fused it to his dying spirit, yes. And don’t you dare make me do it again. That was... unpleasant...”

  Sonora realized her Elven friend was covered in sweat as well, and had sat back on the dirt floor, drinking some water.

  Several other Elves came up and healed the various wounds Sonora hadn’t realized she’d had, and bolstered her energy enough where she felt sort of normal before Josey bent down and sent purple energy into Royn’s head to wake him up.

  He gasped for air, then looked at Josey and Sonora. “What happened? I should be dead right now.”

  They explained, and his eyes got bigger and bigger.

  Josey finished her story with, “And then Sonora saved you, with a little help from me.”

  “How?”

  “She gave you a piece of herself.”

  He looked at her inquisitively. “Why?”

  Sonora faltered, unsure now. “You-you’re our leader. I-we need you.”

  Royn looked deep into her eyes for a couple seconds then nodded. “Then I owe you my life, and my thanks. I’ll be forever indebted to you, Aeren Sonora.” He managed to give a slight bow of his head. “Josey, I knew you were good, but I didn’t know you were that good.”

  She smiled and shrugged. “That wasn’t the first time I’ve done it.”

  “Will we be able to get back before our window closes?” Royn asked, attempting to stand.

  Josey sighed. “I would try to tell you that you need to recover, but I know you won’t listen. Frank, Jack, Jim, would you mind helping to fix him up and donating some power to us so we can get back where we need to?”

  The three Elves agreed, and within ten minutes, the trio was on their way back to the Bowl. Sonora might have imagined it, but she thought Royn squeezed her hand a little tighter than he had on the trip there.

  Chapter 31 – The Admiral

  THE ARMADA OF SHALLOW-running ships eased into the bay. The Races didn’t think the shallow water that surrounded the islands and the harbor were vulnerable. They thought no ocean vessel would be able to go through the shallow water with their deep berths.

  But they were wrong.

  Malstrak and his cohorts had managed to manipulate the ships to adjust to both deep water and shallow. After destroying the Senturians on the Lone Isle, and completely demolishing the city of Luling, the fleet had split. They had completely fooled the Races; they expected the only viable landing for such a large force would be the mouth of the Trinity. Instead of the two-pronged naval assault the Easterners had planned, the third force went unnoticed to their target.

  The admiral, one of the few humans on in the fleet, was on the lead ship with a traitor serving as their guide. That was one thing about the so called “morally right.” You could always count on at least one of them to be a rat.

  The fleet was making its way through the islands outside Portland. They had enough people with water powers to provide a fog cover, maintaining their secrecy. Not that anyone was watching them this far south. They had a mission, and the next phase was about to start.

  Perfectly on cue, the last ship in the group swung wide, dropping its gangplank on the bank of the mainland. As soon as it hit the ground, two large figures emerged, walking on all fours, then disappeared into the terrain. After mere seconds, the ship pulled back the gangplank and returned to the ocean, falling back in line with the others. The alphas were fast – they would speed through the forest and beat the ships to Portland by twenty minutes, making sacking the city almost too easy.

  The admiral’s neck hairs prickled, his senses telling him something approached him from behind. He turned around and the creature asked him a question, which he answered as the thing looked at him with pure hatred. The creature moved on to carry out the order. The admiral had to repress a shiver – the only reason these things didn’t kill him was because Malstrak had ordered them not to. That and they knew he would lead them to the killing fields, where they really wanted to be.

  With strong hogra behind the oars, the few ships they encountered were easily overtaken and ransacked, then sunk, with no chance to signal others. They didn’t burn the ships, maintaining their secrecy. The hogra, those boar-headed behemoths, had no quit in them. They would work all day, all night, with no rest, as long as you kept them fed.

  Darkness fell and the ships grew silent. They were creepy as hell, but the creatures under the admiral’s command were predators – they knew when and how to remain hidden, waiting for the right opportunity. The hunt was about to begin.

  Right after midnight, at least one hundred ships soundlessly hit the docks. There was no one there, no one on the beaches, no one out at all.

  Perfect for an invasion.

  The forward ramps were lowered, and the horde of creatures crept off the ships, no louder than the waves lapping on the shore.

  The screams started almost immediately but were quickly snuffed out as the army swarmed the town and killed anything they found.

  The town guards were roused from their sleep and quickly tried to mount a counter offensive. Dozens ran into the streets, only to be slaughtered in a spray of blood and intestines.

  Realizing they were outclassed, several of them managed to barricade themselves in a building to regroup.

  “Captain, we’re under attack from all sides. We are completely surrounded.”

  “Damnit,” the captain said. Looking at the small platoon of dirty and bloodied soldiers, the captain knew the fight was over. But there was still something else he could do. He looked at his subordinate. “Lieutenant Brand, Portland is lost. We’ve got to get to the communications center. Harlingon has to be warned.” He took a deep breath. “This is the end of the line, men. It’s been an honor to be your commanding officer. Now follow me, keep them off my back, and let’s get the word out!”

  “Yes, sir!” fifteen voices said, falling into position around the captain.

  Bursting out of the door, the soldiers moved quickly. Through the haze of smoke from the burning buildings, the small platoon fought their way across the relatively short distance to the communication outpost.

  A giant scorpion sprung out of an alleyway and took down four soldiers. Steel met steel as three hogra came around the corner, engaging the platoon and killing four more soldiers before they brought them down.

  With only eight left, they fought for the last hundred yards, a man dying every fifteen. By the time they reached the communications center, there was only the captain and sergeant, who turned and held the door closed once they were inside. “We made it, sir!” he said, bleeding from his left arm.

  Something slammed into the door, but the sergeant held it shut. “Hurry, Cap – I don’t know how long can hold them!”

  Looking around frantically, the captain’s face fell. “We’re too late,” he said, as he looked up to the cables, as thick as a
man’s leg. They connected each city to the others, allowing near real-time communication. Which was the only way they could have gotten the word out to warn the rest of the East Side, to prevent more death.

  And the wires were sliced in half, completely useless.

  “It’s been an honor serving with you, Captain,” the soldier said, raising his sword as the hulking forms of two alphas slowly emerged from the shadows and crept toward them.

  The captain raised his own sword. “You as well, son. You as well.”

  God help us all.

  Chapter 32 – Jayton Baird

  HANK THREW THE DOOR open to my quarters, pulling in a dirty, unkempt man dressed in black robes with him. “Jayton Baird! Tell me you don’t know this guy so I can toss him back outside,” he said.

  One with a black glowing blade.

  “The executioner?” I asked, dropping my food and drawing my sword. The rest of the crew did the same, and the room buzzed with energy. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “Get off me, you oaf!” he said, pushing himself away from Hank, stumbling. Bouncing off the wall, he fell to the floor before staggering back to his feet. Looking at me with glazed-over eyes, he straightened. He smiled, dusting off his dirty clothes. “Why, Jayton Baird, I came for the scenery! The excitement! The intrigue!” I raised my eyebrow, and he continued, slurring. “And to make money, of course! After I was disbarred from the executioners, I had to find some way to make a living! You’ve successfully quadrupled my bankroll. You have my thanks.” He tried to bow but fell over again.

  I rolled my eyes. “You bet it all on me each time?”

  He grinned from the floor, breathing hard. “Safest bet I’ve ever made.”

  Hank let out a breath. “So you know him?”

  “Kind of. He tried to kill me several times last year.”

  “So what do you want to do with him?”

  “Wait! I have something to say!” the executioner said, flopping back down on his ass. “I mean no harm. I have information for you, Jayton Baird, then I’ll leave. Honest.”

  I eyed him, unsure about what to do. Narrowing my eyes, I said, “You’ve got one minute. What do you want?”

  “Damn,” Hank said, walking to the bar and grabbing a glass of water. “Let me know when I can kick him out. Bastard is squirmy.”

  I turned back to the executioner. “Well?”

  He stood again, managing to stay upright and pointed at me. “You have a traitor on your team.”

  I swallowed. “What?”

  “You heard me. Someone on your team is plotting against you.”

  “How do you know that?” Gilmer said, stepping forward. “We all know how reliable you are.”

  “I heard one of the people on your team talking in a telestone booth to Malstrak. He’s also been meeting with other people... those allied with Malstrak.”

  “Oh really? And who would this be?” Gilmer countered immediately, drawing in even more power and stepping forward.

  The executioner wrung his hands and shifted side to side. “I never got a good look at his face. I could only tell by his power signature that he was from your group, but I don’t know which one.”

  “Power signature?” Celeste said. “What the hell is that?”

  “It’s a special ability given to executioners. We’re able to identify people by their power set. Almost like a fingerprint.”

  “Well look at all of our power signatures then! Should be simple to root them out,” Gilmer said.

  “Well,” he said, shifting his eyes and wringing his hands, “see, I’ve been drinking all day and –”

  “Ha!” Gilmer laughed. “A likely story. Jay, let’s get this guy outta here...”

  “It wasn’t you, if that’s what you’re implying,” the executioner said. “You’re all in danger; someone here is trying to kill you.”

  “Everyone here is trying to kill us!” Gilmer said, raising his sword.

  The executioner hastily drew his own black blade and dropped into a ready stance, looking more deadly than he had before.

  “Guys,” I said, rubbing my forehead. “Enough!”

  “Jayton, this guy...”

  “Gilmer!” I said, looking at him until he stormed away. “Executioner, are you sure of what you saw? And why tell me the first place?”

  “As sure as I’m standing here, Jayton,” he said, a sincere look of worry on his face. “This can’t be good, I know, and I’m sorry I’m the one who has to tell you.” His shoulders sagged and he stared at the floor. “I’m ashamed of how I acted before, of plotting to kill you and not trusting you. I’ve been lost since my banishment from the executioners.” He looked up and stared directly into my face. “But you’ve always stayed true to yourself. Stood for what was right. I guess I’m... I’m trying to do the same, to make up for past wrongs. You can trust me, Jayton Baird.”

  I stood there and gawked at him. This man had tried to kill me on multiple occasions, almost succeeding in several of them, and if he wasn’t trying to kill me, he was trying to frame me so he could kill me. But there was something in his voice, a change that wasn’t there before.

  And I believed him.

  “Thank you for the information. We’ll look into it.”

  Hank rose from his chair.

  With a wave of his hand, the executioner said, “I can find my own way out, thank you. Fare thee well, Jayton Baird.” He turned to walk out the door, then added over his shoulder, “You would do well to heed my words. There’s a lot riding on you.”

  After the door shut, everyone turned to look at Royn.

  Royn said, “Well? Leona, do you feel anything?”

  Leona’s eyes lost focus for a second. “Negative, I don’t feel anything. Though I don’t know that I actually would unless someone was put in immediate danger, like if they were about to get stabbed or something. My Guide Quantum can be a little fickle at times.”

  “What do you think Jayton?” Royn said.

  Sheathing my sword, I quickly turned on the Ignis and checked everyone’s scorecard, even asking if there was a traitor in the group. I got no response, so I sat down. “Everyone’s scorecard matches to their power set, but if there is a traitor I don’t know if that would actually show anything. The Fire Eyes didn’t tell me there was a traitor, but, like Leona, I don’t think the power works like that. I don’t know what to think, honestly. I trust everyone, but we’re deep in enemy territory. Anything could happen.”

  “So what do we do then?” Morgan said. “Everyone question everybody else to see if they’re being sincere? Do we stop trusting each other? I mean, who could it be?”

  Troup spoke up. “We must also consider that Malstrak allowed the executioner to overhear these conversations, or maybe even told him to talk to us, causing infighting and even more discord.”

  There was truth in his words. I shook my head. “In my opinion, we move forward as planned, as we’ve been doing. If there’s a spy, which I tend to doubt, he already knows as much as we do about everything. We haven’t kept much secret between all of us the whole time — I don’t think there’s a reason to start now.”

  “Or she,” Leona said.

  “Or she,” I conceded. “So let’s not fuss over this, and let’s focus on winning this tournament, agreed?”

  Everyone agreed and went back to whatever they were doing prior to our interruption.

  In my head, I heard Royn say, “I agree with your assessment, however, any intelligence tends to have a grain of truth in it. I’m going to keep both movements of our troops and information about what’s happening on our war fronts closer to my chest.”

  “Okay, but is there any way to figure out if the executioner was telling the truth?”

  Royn shrugged, but didn’t open his mouth. “Maybe. Randomly flash the Ignis when you’re talking to people and see if you can catch him or her. But if they’re already doing it, I doubt you’ll find anything.”

  I’d have to do that over the next several d
ays, but I didn’t have much faith that it would work.

  Just one more damn thing to worry about.

  Royn walked off, and Hank and Troup walked up to me. “Troup, any luck with Anwack’s axe?”

  He shook his head, “No, other than ‘Right the Wrongs’ being inscribed on each blade. It’s a metal we Dwarves have never seen before, which is an extreme anomaly. I can’t even identify the components. It’s a strange weapon.”

  “Damn,” I said. “Hank, were you able to find out anything else? The letters and the map he handed me?”

  Hank nodded. “Aye, but only a little. The writing style is old, thought to be out of use entirely. And the map...”

  “Yes?” I said.

  “Jayton, the map is from west of the Shadow Mountains. Where anyone who’s explored has never returned. I think no one knew anything about him because that’s where he was from originally.”

  “You’re telling me there’s people we know nothing about? Maybe an entire culture?” I asked.

  “Quite possibly,” Hank said.

  “Then why was he here? Alone in the tournament?”

  Hank sighed. “We don’t know for sure he was alone, but as for the why? I think he took that to his grave.”

  Chapter 33 – Jayton Baird

  “JAY, PAY ATTENTION!” Royn shouted, slamming his fist on the table, everyone jerking in response. When I had looked him in the eye, he said, “Round five is about to start and you need to focus. Celeste, start over, please.”

  “Right,” she said. “The kid was unapproachable, but –”

  “Because of his slave status,” I interjected with more of a growl than I meant to.

  Celeste eyed me. “Because of his status. All we have is what we’ve seen him do and what we’ve gathered from other sources. I know you’ve heard this, Jay, but here it is again. He’s an eight in fire, ten in healing, six in energy, and eight in fighting skills. He’s the best all-around fighter you’ve faced so far.”