The Zoya Chronicles Boxed Set

by Kate Sander

  She had failed everyone else in her life. She wouldn’t fail Jules.

  33

  Senka

  They heard them long before they saw them. The expertly timed marching rang over the trees and drifted towards them. Clearly in full armour, Senka hoped they’d be exhausted from the walk. As they would be caught by surprise, they wouldn’t have time to rest before their attack. That’s all the Melanthios could do. The 1000 vs 10 000 haunted her. More than likely, they’d all die. And it’s all her fault.

  At least she’d be dead too, then the guilt wouldn’t get her.

  She was with Tory, Eli and Ujarak a little bit away from the rest of the troops. Once the scouts said the Sun Gods were close enough, they would split up to lead their respective squads. Senka had a heavy heart. This would be the last time she saw them. They sat in silence, no one wanting to speak. A loud whistle echoed through the trees.

  It was time.

  They stood and hugged, arms over each other’s shoulders, forming a circle.

  “Can’t wait to see you all again when this is done,” Tory said. They all knew she meant dead in the spirit world. “You all are the best and only family I’ve ever had. I love you all.”

  One final nod. There was no reason to say anything else, Tory had summed it up. Senka made her way to the ledge of the valley. That morning they had sent half their troops over the valley on ropes to the other side. The Sun Gods would be attacked from all angles. Ladders would be thrown over the side for the ground troops. That was the most dangerous part of the attack for them.

  The valley was only fifty feet high. Senka would not be using a ladder.

  The first of the Sun Gods round the corner of the valley floor. Reduced to eight across in the valley, they marched shoulder to shoulder, armour gleaming, swords shining. The problem with using this valley was that once the attack started, there was no way to get away. The Melanthios would be stuck.

  No retreat. The only way out was past the end of the approaching Sun God army to where the valley gently sloped down to the middle of the forest. Or to climb up the jagged rocky walls. The base of the valley was dried river bed, made of pure rock and sand. Footing was going to be an issue.

  They let them march past. Thousands of them. They were going to split them in the middle, the Melanthios on the other side of the valley would push to the front, trying to eliminate as many Sun Gods as possible. Those on her side would push towards the back. This also gave Senka a chance to kill the King. That was key. If the King survived, he would keep attacking. Their only chance was to kill the King, find Sol XIX and return him to Solias.

  One thing at a time, Senka thought.

  Finally, the end of the Sun Gods approached. Hundreds of yards away. Sticking out like a sore thumb was a man in gold armour, sitting atop a horse and wearing a crooked crown. Beside him were three other horses with riders. One was Jules. She knew it. Senka amped herself up and gave a whistle.

  A few deep breaths and she launched herself off the edge of the cliff. The wind cleared her head. Drawing her tantos in the air, she fell on the closest Sun God. Her aim was true and her blades found the groove between the chest armour and the neck plate. Pulling violently backwards, she wrenched his throat out of the back of his neck. Yells from above as arrows fell from the archers around her, finding gaps in the Sun God’s armour.

  The battle had begun.

  The surprise attack worked, and the Sun Gods stood around her stupidly. Senka clipped her tantos into her gloves and fired up the Pulse. She swung at the nearest man, missed, but the electrified end of the tanto hit him in the chest plate. He fell in a fit of convulsions.

  Well, she thought, this might be easier than I thought. The thought had barely entered her mind when something hit her in the back of the head. She stumbled forward and turned. A Sun God had hit her with the broad side of her great sword. Senka blocked the next blow and shoved a tanto in the woman’s armpit. She fell, writhing, with a spurt of bright red blood.

  Senka looked up and saw a sea of bright armour. She saw the golden armour on his horse and made a bee line towards him, cutting and slashing, ducking and rolling. Soon she was covered in blood and gore. She had to wipe blood from her eyes. Fallen Sun Gods were littered around her feet. She didn’t notice one come up behind her. Sensing him at the last second, she turned to block late. He fell suddenly, an arrow in his throat. She looked to the edge of the valley and saw Tory.

  Senka nodded in appreciation then kept fighting. They were making headway. Ujarak bellowed behind her. She turned and looked. He was smashing heads with his hammer. On every forward swipe and back swipe, a gush of brains was projected from the nearest Sun God’s head. She saw him get hit with something and go down.

  She wanted to go and help him, but that was not her goal. She wrenched her eyes away. No sign of Eli yet.

  Total chaos all around her. Blood, yelling, gore, screams. One Melanthios near her lurched as a sword stabbed her through the chest. Another was walking around, looking for his arm.

  She killed another Sun God and stepped over her body. The King was in front of her, swiping left and right from his horse. She needed to get moving. Some Melanthios had reached him before she had.

  The Pulse weapons gave her an advantage as they allowed her to only touch a piece of armour and the Sun God went down with convulsions. She didn’t care if she killed them, that wasn’t the goal. The goal was to get to the King and Jules.

  She slogged her way through the battlefield and was close enough to see Jules, hands bound, sitting on a horse next to the King. The King wasn’t fighting anymore. The small group of Melanthios great swords that had broken through were dead at his feet. He sat on his horse, laughing at their deaths.

  Senka swallowed her anger. She couldn’t fight angry. That would kill her. Calm. She had to find inner peace. She gave her distinctive whistle and she saw Jules look at her. His eyes widened in surprise at the sight of her. Their eyes met.

  “I love you,” she mouthed to him.

  A tear fall on his cheek. Then, with horror, she watched as Jules launched himself off his horse and tackle the King off his horse to the ground.

  She had maybe twenty Sun Gods, many of them Exalted, between her and Jules. Senka cut and slashed. She fought hard and they fell in front of her. Throats were ripped out, arteries cut, eyes stabbed. Senka was swirl of pure speed. She fought her way to a clearing with no people surrounding the fallen King, arriving just in time to see Jules straddling the King. He raised his sword over his head when, suddenly, his eyes went big and a dagger tip exploded out of his chest.

  He coughed once, and fell off the King to his side, dropping his sword beside him. Senka screamed. She checked his aura. The beautiful forest green was fading.

  The King was scrambling to his feet, but was struggling due to the heavy armour. His crown had been knocked off his head and was lying on the ground. A reedy looking thin man sat astride a horse. That bastard had killed Jules. He’s the one who’d thrown the dagger at his back.

  Senka knew her goal, but she decided to wait and made a bee line towards the man on the horse. The man saw her coming. His eyes went wide. Rearing his horse, he fled the battlefield, stooping in his saddle to pick up the fallen crown.

  “Sebastian you damn coward!” the King yelled at his fleeing back.

  Senka stopped beside Jules. She shook him and he groaned. Still alive, but fading. Turning slowly, she faced the false King.

  “So, Prisoner 613, we meet again,” the King said, facing her.

  Senka cracked her neck to the side and calmed herself. She pushed Jules out of her mind. It was just her and the false King. She checked his aura. It was as black as the day she had met him.

  He drew his large greatsword. It was larger than any sword she had seen. The man would have to have unhuman like strength to wield a sword like that. Her eyes went wide as she understood.

  The King laughed, “You thought you were the only Zoya? No. I have been here longer tha
n you have been alive. I dropped on that hill forty years ago. Your master found me. He was weak. I stole all that I could carry and made my way to the sea. That’s where I found the old King, the strong King. We were like brothers-”

  Senka didn’t let him finish. Darting forward, she made fast cuts with her blue glowing tantos. He expected this. He blocked one and brought his armour clad fist down on her forearm. His strength was enormous. He shattered the Pulse pack and her left forearm shattered with it. Darting away, she gasped in pain. The left tanto was dead and hanging loosely. She had no control of her hand.

  “I hurt you,” the King said. “Good. Before this is over, I will make you scream.”

  Senka darted in again. This time, knowing his strength, she avoided his swinging arm. The greatsword’s hilt hit the Pulse pack in her right hand. The blue light flickered out. She managed to cut him in the neck, just above the shoulder, before darting away.

  She had no Pulse left. She had to rely on her speed. Speed versus strength. He wiped the blood from his neck angrily. Even though the cut was small, he didn’t have control over his emotions. That would be his downfall.

  “Bitch,” he yelled.

  She darted in again, this time predicting where the greatsword was going to be. She managed to nick him in the right wrist, the right elbow and his cheek before she darted away. His armoured fist swiped out, aiming at her stomach. She tried to block with her left arm but with a broken forearm it was all but useless. He punched her full force in the stomach. All her breath was knocked out of her as she flew back.

  She landed close to Jules, coughing and groaning. He had done some serious damage to her internally. Something was broken on the inside. Before she could get up, he was on her again.

  He stomped on her chest. She tried to block it with the tanto she had left but his foot wrenched the weapon out of her hand, breaking the metal plate. It flew out of her vision. She took the blow and heard multiple ribs break.

  “You bitch,” he yelled, wiping blood out of his eye. “I did have plans for you, but now I’m going to fucking kill you.”

  He liked talking as much as he liked hurting people. She cleared her head through the pain and saw him leaning to the right a bit, favouring his left knee. She knew what she had to do. Jules was a few feet to her left. His sword lay just out of her reach.

  The King yelled and went to kick her again and she swung out with her foot with a direct kick to the knee. He screamed. She had been right, he had recently hurt his knee. Rolling over she scrambled away and managed to get Jules’ sword with her right hand. The King flipped her over and raised his greatsword over his head ready for the killing blow.

  Senka found her remaining energy and exploded upwards, Jules’ sword in hand. She hit the King under the chin and forced the sword through his brain and out the top of his head. The hilt stopped when it hit his chin. He looked at her, metal glinting from overtop his head. A clang rang out as he dropped his sword uselessly behind her. Blinking stupidly a few times, blood started pouring out of his eyes. Senka stared at him until, with an aura check, she knew that he was dead.

  She threw him to the ground and fell to her knees. Jules. Crawling back towards him, she could barely move. Her insides were broken. She wouldn’t survive. Blood started leaking slowly from her mouth. Everything hurt.

  She made it to Jules’ side. He was still alive, though unconscious. She hoped Tory, Eli or Ujarak would find him. Collapsing beside him, she saw him holding something in his hand. With a gasp of pain she managed to pry open his hand, revealing a beautiful ring. It was gold in the shape of a lion, with a small ruby as its eye. She grabbed onto it and with her right hand and flipped onto her back, clutching the ring to her chest.

  I’m sorry, she thought to him. She was starting fade. Blood was pouring out of her mouth. So much blood. Breathing was difficult. She looked at the blue sky. She was shocked at how blue and sunny it was. A raven flew overhead. The pain that was everywhere started to subside. She blinked slowly. She wanted to stay with Jules, but she knew she couldn’t. With one final breathe, she turned her head to face him.

  Everything faded to black.

  Epilogue

  Karen Jones, formally Munroe, had been called in to the hospital earlier that afternoon. She was with her new husband, but still very nervous. They lived in London, England, and her ex-husband was in the hospital. As he didn’t have any family, they had called her.

  “Don’t be nervous,” Bill said to her.

  “I’m not nervous.”

  “You’re a terrible liar,” he said, stroking her hair. They were in an elevator, heading up to the Neuro center of the hospital.

  “I know. Just.” She paused, taking a deep breath, “What if he wakes up?”

  He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and gave her a reassuring squeeze, “If he does, you’ll have me there, and he’ll have me to answer to. Karen, look at me,” he turned her towards him, looking at his beautiful wife of sixty. She had white streaks in her blonde hair, brown eyes and a wit that could put Churchill to shame. They had married twenty-five years ago and he had never been happier. After two divorces, he knew she was the one for him. “Look at me,” he said again, “He won’t hurt you again. I won’t let him. I’ll kill him before he lays a hand on you again.”

  Karen shoved him in the shoulder, “Don’t even joke about stuff like that Bill.”

  “What makes you think I’m joking?”

  She giggled, mostly out of nerves, and the elevator opened.

  “Room again?” he asked as they stepped out.

  “The nurse on the other end said 704,” she answered.

  They followed the signs and found the room. Karen opened the door. Her ex-husband, Charles, was thrashing on the bed. Restrained by his wrists and ankles, he made the whole hospital bed shake. His eyes were closed, but he was cursing and struggling. Karen had recently consented to allow Charles to be involved in a study. The doctor in charge of the study and three nurses were in the room with him. The heart monitor on the wall was beeping so fast there was barely a pause between the sounds.

  “Ah, Mrs. Jones,” the doctor said smoothly. Karen forgot his name.

  “Why did you call me?” she asked.

  “Well, we understand that his mother, who had power of attorney before she died, signed a DNR around five years into his coma, is that correct?”

  Karen nodded.

  “And to confirm that this is your ex-husband?” he asked again.

  “Yes,” she answered, “That is Charles. Charles Munroe. He’s been in a coma since his rock-climbing accident forty years ago.”

  The doctor nodded and checked something off on his clipboard.

  “We’re sorry to call you in like this. Your ex-husband, however, has no remaining family. He has been having very irregular brain waves for the past few hours. We had him transferred here from his regular care home. His heart rate has skyrocketed since the move, as did the thrashing. We thought it was best to have you come in, confirm the DNR, and confirm his identity before anything else goes wrong.”

  Karen nodded and reached for Bill’s hand. He was waiting for it, as he always was.

  “I’m sorry,” Karen said, “My ex-husband was a very hard man. I would prefer not to be here for this.” As she spoke, he started seizing on the bed. Blood started pouring out of his eyes. The nurse yelled something at the doctor and her husband grabbed her by the shoulder and led her shocked and still form out of the room.

  “It’s over now,” he whispered in her ear, “He can never hurt you again.”

  She nodded, pale. The door had just shut behind them when Karen heard Charles stop thrashing and a single, long beep emit from the monitor.

  “Time of death,” the doctor said, “11:17.”

  Karen was surprised at the lack of sadness she felt. She had married Charles young and had soon discovered his true character. Bill led her to the elevator and they waited for it to open.

  She attributed her lack of emoti
on to the fact that, after all, he was a hard man.

  James and Susan were standing beside Lizzie’s thrashing form. They had been called in when the doctor in charge of the new study Liz was in had phoned, saying that her brainwaves were irregular. James had quickly picked his mother up from her AA meeting, and they had rushed to Liz’s care home.

  They were talking about restraining her when her heart rate had jacked up to faster than James had ever seen. His mother buried her head in his shoulder and he just held her. They were weeping together, watching his baby sister die. She had been in a coma for over three years. James didn’t understand why this was happening now.

  “Sometimes,” Amanda said to him, “It just happens.”

  Elizabeth thrashed violently.

  “James,” Amanda said, “James we have to. For our safety and hers.”

  His mother just sobbed on his shoulder.

  “Ok,” he said. “Ok, you can restrain her. I just don’t want her to be scared when she wakes up.”

  Amanda nodded and looked at him pityingly. They managed to get her left hand and both feet restrained, but she was clutching her right hand to her chest. Even when two nurses tried to get it to her side, they couldn’t.

  “It’s fine,” Amanda said. “Three is good enough.”

  The beeping stopped and one long beep emitted from the monitor. James felt his heart stop. His mother continued to sob.

  “No!” James yelled, “No, Lizzie. No!”

  The beep kept sounding.

  “James,” Amanda said, “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”

  James was shaking his head in denial when the beeping from the monitor sounded again. This time at a regular pace. James let go of his mother and rushed to Lizzie’s side.