Air

by Rosie Scott

  A deep rumbling echoed off of walls of ice to the east. Ice crumbling was followed by an intense hissing. The vibrations of the sun as it forced its way outward from Glacia's core were so immense that our ship shook violently in the waters of the inlet even before the magic reached us. The echoes of screams reached my ears, both from the Icilic and our own men. The Sentinels and I had taught our men what to expect when it came time to face the sun, but at the end of the day, it was a hard thing for a person to prepare for.

  The rushing of waters roared behind our ship, proving that Glacia was melting, for there had been nothing but ice beyond the split. Our galleon lurched forward in the inlet, crashing into the back of Zephyr's as an onslaught of water forced us in the direction of the open ocean. I felt the spray of cool ocean waters against my arms, and at first, I felt fear because I thought the magic had broken through the shield. But the water wasn't part of the spell, so our protection didn't stop it. As the sun chased after the melted water, it hissed and sizzled as if it were the bubbling oils on cooking meat. I gritted my teeth as the magic finally reached us, dissipating the water beneath our ship and surging past in a hot ripple so strong that it suddenly felt like we were in Nahara. The alteration shield rejected most of the heat, so outside of our ship, everything was frying.

  Then came the drop. My stomach jumped into my throat as the ship fell through the open air. Soldiers wretched over the deck, and sprinkles of hot vomit hit my face from an unknown direction. I begged for water. Glacia was in much deeper waters than just off the shore of Tal, but Ciro's spell was also more powerful this time. I hoped more than anything that the ocean wasn't bare beneath us.

  Pssshhh!

  Our warship landed in a huge splash of water, and newly warmed waters sprayed over the deck. I kept my eyes closed, still hearing the power of the sun rampaging in the distance. Only when things were quiet did I risk it to look.

  Nothing but water and dense fog appeared where Glacia had once been. The inlet we were traveling out of was now open ocean. There were no bodies, or structures, or debris. Anything that hadn't been shielded sufficiently enough had been disintegrated.

  I glanced up at our ship's shield. It didn't even flicker. I'd over-charged it. I stood up on the deck, my eyes immediately finding a pair of silver from the next ship over. Zephyr stood drunkenly on the poop deck of her own warship, and she smiled as if in disbelief when she saw me.

  “Phew!” She called back to me, before a thick laugh of overwhelming relief. The magical protection of the other ship was also still surrounding the vessel, though it was fading. We hadn't been sure that any of the shields other than mine would be able to handle the energy, so I was overwhelmingly thankful they had. Of course, Zephyr had had a life and death dual caster who had been feeding the chargers energy during our entire time here. There was still a chance that the others hadn't made it, but I didn't want to give into negativity just yet.

  “Zephyr!” I called to the Sentinel, and she looked back at me. I pointed east. “While I heal Cyrus, will you check for Ciro?”

  “Bhaskar, you mean,” Zephyr called back, as a murmuring rose above her men.

  “No,” I replied, though my tone was friendly. “I don't.”

  Zephyr nodded in understanding. Her men slowly turned the warship around, and as they sailed to the east, I heard her war horn echoing over the waters. A moment later, as if in response, another one sounded from the west. I was flooded with relief at knowing that at least one of the other Sentinels had made it.

  I dropped to the deck beside Cyrus, who trembled with trauma from his injury. The passing heat of the sun had melted the ice spike in his leg, and now the wound was open and severe. Cerin boosted his immunity as I studied the injury. The tibia was utterly shattered in a circular area halfway between his foot and knee, and pieces of the bone were buried in the surrounding flesh and muscle.

  “Azazel,” I murmured. Before I could say anything further, the archer hurried to go below deck to get my surgery kit.

  “Thank you, Kai,” Cyrus said weakly, watching my face to assess the reactions I had to his wound. As usual, I tried not to allow any emotion to show on my face as I judged its severity. I took a moment to give Cyrus illusion magic to dull his pain, and the Sentinel appeared shocked by its usefulness after the spell started working.

  “For what, Cy?”

  “Coming back.”

  “Don't thank me for that,” I said, reaching out to grab the surgery kit Azazel offered me. He also had brought my entire satchel if I needed it. I went to work retrieving the pieces of shattered bone, and Cyrus didn't speak again for a long while, leaving me to my concentration. After the bone was removed from his flesh, I went to work painstakingly matching the pieces of bone back to the source in his leg, using life magic to meld the parts together one at a time.

  “Kai!” Zephyr's voice called out from the east in the midst of surgery.

  “She's working on Cyrus's leg,” Cerin called back. “Did you find Ciro?”

  “No,” Zephyr hollered back. “He's gone. Everything's gone. Vanished out of thin air like it never existed.”

  I frowned as I worked. Ciro had been right. He was a victim of his own magic, but I knew he'd at least be happy that he took his brother out with him. I tried to find solace in the fact that this was what the god had wanted. I remembered the last smile of gratitude he'd given me as we ran from him and tried to etch it into my mind. When I thought back to the god of the sun and all of the events he'd been involved in during our time in Eteri and Glacia, that was how I wanted to remember him.

  The heat of the sun was still prevalent in the air as our ships finally continued sailing west. Cerin and Azazel no longer shivered, and the icicles in their hair had long since melted. Even so, Cerin boosted their immunity and Azazel brewed some tonics to keep sickness from taking them. The archer also made some potions for Cyrus that were supposed to support the nerve endings in his leg. I'd healed him as best as I could, but the wound had been severe. The Sentinel could walk, but he was experiencing numbness in the area of the injury. Hopefully, in time, that would also heal.

  Altan and Uriel were both safe and waiting for us where the western edge of Glacia had once been. They'd lost some people in the fight at the coast, of course, and two of the Eteri ships had not had strong enough shields to ward off the sun. Both vessels had been completely disintegrated, taking all soldiers left on board with them. Every loss was unfortunate, but the alternative had promised to be even worse.

  The skies were darkening into evening as our fatigued navies finally sailed south. I found myself on the poop deck, pensively looking out over the northern Servis as we left it. It was astonishing to believe a whole country had once stretched across these waters. I did find myself hoping that the Icilic who had fled their country were safe, whether they had tried to settle on islands or in Chairel or otherwise. It wasn't like they would ever want the same for me, but I only wished the survivors the best. Perhaps the destruction of Glacia and the resulting move to other continents would humble them.

  Lastly, I thought once more about Jakan and Anto. I missed both men fiercely, and I would love them until the day I died. But where there was once sadness and anger, I only had sadness. I'd been right. Enacting vengeance for the Icilic's massive invasion of Eteri had offered me some closure. Perhaps Nyx and even others wouldn't find vengeance to be the best motivator, or maybe people could find it distasteful.

  But that was who I was. That had always been who I was. Whether it was due to the blood of my godly ancestors or not, vengeance was and would always be my greatest motivator. I refused to feel shame for that anymore. After all, I couldn't change who I was. I could only accept it and move on.

  As for all of those who would shame me for that, they could either learn to deal with it and move on with their lives or become consumed with such hatred for me that their own quests of vengeance would erupt out of thin air. It was an endless cycle, and I was more than prepared for the challeng
e. If there was one thing I'd learned over my years of waging war, it was that most people were willing to sit around and do nothing in the face of injustices. They only wished to complain about the methods of those who risked their lives to act. I had no time for such people. And if they decided they had no time for me, they could always pick up a different history book.

  For now, Eteri's army would need time to heal. The giants would need to be trained and equipped. Our losses over the past few years were higher than they'd ever been, and I wasn't certain we would be moving forward to Hammerton as quickly as we had once anticipated. Even so, I did not give in to negativity. There was so much I wanted to accomplish in Chairel. I thought of the fishers from Dagmar, and the look of gratitude I'd received from giving them the life spells for free. That memory would stick with me forever. No matter the hurdles ahead, that was something I could fight for.

  Stalled or not, the War of Necromancers was entering its final stages.

  Forty-five

  3rd of New Moon, 424

  It was three days into the new year, and in just four more, we would have been in Eteri for three full years. My mind was swarmed with memories of the events which had happened here as I waited next to the other Renegades and the Sentinels, prepared to speak with Queen Tilda. All of the Sentinels had come back to Mistral with me. The only one missing was Kirek, but I was pretty sure I could hear her speaking with the queen behind the door of the throne room.

  Our warships had traveled to Esen and then around the country's eastern coast to Makani. During our voyage, the fog over the waters of Glacia had dissipated and raised the ocean's level. As we had once feared, the town of Esen was now underwater. The entire northern curl of Eteri was lost to the sea, leaving the edges of the Cleves and Pedr Crags standing like guardians along the newly formed coastline. While passing Dagmar, we came to realize the town was so hard to find because it had been demolished by water. The little group of mountains separating the village from the sea now appeared even smaller. Finally, when we had arrived in Makani, we found it flooded. The new water levels were not as severe as we had once anticipated, for Glacia hadn't been as large as we thought it could be. Even still, two rows of buildings in Makani were permanently flooded. There was a lot of work to be done to return the city to normal and rebuild the harbor. I hoped that Scirocco's defensive location had kept the city safer.

  The landscape of Arrayis was permanently changed. Given that Glacia had already been melting, we'd only helped to speed up its process. I twisted the ring Ciro had given me around my finger, watching the ruby glimmer in the nearby firelight. We had prevented the most massive invasion in Arrayis's history, but the costs had been considerable.

  Such were the sacrifices of war.

  The steel door to the throne room creaked as it opened, and Kirek appeared as emotionless as ever. Her green eyes took note of the fact that Ciro was missing, but she wasn't surprised. “Come,” the third Sentinel said, backing up a step as we all filed through to speak with the queen.

  Queen Tilda appeared overjoyed as we came to stand before her. “Kirek tells me that Glacia is destroyed, for the ripples of its water reached the cup of Eteri.” Her eyebrows rose in anticipation of being told the story.

  The Sentinels and I filled the queen in on what she'd missed. She was pleased that Vertun's death was assured, and she didn't seem to care in the slightest that Ciro had been killed in the process.

  Tilda finally looked at me. “So Cicero's information was correct?”

  “Yes,” I replied. “Dated, but correct. Intel indicated that the split we used to attack the center of Glacia was smaller than it actually was. It turned out to be a benefit.”

  The queen tapped her long fingernails over the stone armrest of her throne. “You wouldn't happen to know anything about the god escaping, would you?”

  A sharp pain sliced through my gut. Everything about that last conversation with Cicero came back to me. There was so much about that day I didn't want the queen knowing about. “Cicero, you mean?” I asked, stalling for thoughts.

  “Yes.” Tilda's stare was ceaseless. “Cicero has been missing from my dungeon since the 19th of Red Moon last year.”

  “That was the day Glacia was destroyed,” I murmured, trying to rack my mind for explanations. The queen was making this seem as if it was my fault.

  “My queen,” Kirek spoke up, “the Icilic prisoners of war from our battle in Esen told us that Cicero has escaped before. He was imprisoned in Glacia before his arrival here.”

  A wave of relief fluttered through me; as Kirek spoke, Queen Tilda's stare softened with trust. I added, “Yes, and they also said his powers grow when chaos is caused by him. If it weren't for Cicero's information, Glacia wouldn't have been destroyed. Surely its destruction empowered him.”

  Tilda sighed. “Well, in any case, I need that dungeon searched for weaknesses. This shouldn't have happened.” She glared over at Kirek, who bowed lightly as if to say it would be done. Satisfied, the queen looked to me. “It's been nearly three years into our alliance, Kai, and we've only been set back.”

  I nodded. “Your armies need time to heal and recruit before we move forward to Hammerton.”

  Tilda lifted a hand, picking at a cuticle of one finger with the nail of another. “My armies need healing, yes. And the giants need to be trained for battle. They've never been overseas before. I did take your advice, Kai, on working with the wildlands. Their imports of lumber will allow us to rebuild the warships we've lost and then some. All of this will take time, dear, so I cannot promise you will even be in Hammerton by 426, which would have been the end of the five years we agreed on. I understand your need for vengeance against Sirius, but surely you understand this war has heavily taxed my resources.” She hesitated and glanced up at me. “You will turn thirty next year, will you not? Sirius grows ever older. It's possible that the strains of this war will keep you from killing him yourself.”

  I stared back at the queen, unwavering. “Just come out and say what it is you want. You know how I hate indirectness.”

  The queen chuckled with amusement. “I am saying it is time, Kai, to gather what other allies you have made in this war. If you want to abide by our alliance and takeover Chairel before Sirius keels over by old age alone, we need numbers. I will do my best to rebuild my armies, and the addition of giants will surely help. But as you once said to me, my people are not an infinite resource.”

  I hesitated for a moment. As much as I hated to admit it, the queen was right. But Nahara had just been dealt an enormous blow and would need time to recover from their own losses. The only other options I had were the underground and the wildlands. My best bet was to contact Calder. The underground had been overrun with Alderi. The civil war had killed thousands, but we had done well in sparing the majority of Quellden. There were tens of thousands of dark elves left, and many of them lived for battle. Their support could win us the war.

  The only problem was that I would be dragging my other allies into Hammerton when they'd only agreed to support me in the fight against Chairel. And all of this was to help a queen who was counting the days until she double-crossed me. I glanced over at Cyrus. The Sentinel must have known what I was thinking. His own blue eyes swirled with his support of me.

  “If you are worried about their support, Kai,” the queen went on when I'd said nothing, “there have been Alderi men who have traveled here during your absence in this war. Always looking for you to offer their support. Apparently many know you are here in Eteri and don't wish to live any longer in the underground than they have to.”

  I stared at her with irritation. “You have not told me this until now?”

  “It's little of my concern, and I don't wish this country to become a charity,” Tilda replied nonchalantly. “These men were slaves with no gold to their name. They offer me nothing.”

  Anger sizzled and popped in my stomach at the idea of Tilda turning away those who would seek to follow me. “You don't have to l
et being a bitch get in the way of your intelligence,” I seethed.

  Tilda's eyebrows raised, and Kirek started to protest. The queen silenced her favorite Sentinel with a finger before she said, “Excuse me?”

  “Those slaves offer you a great deal because they offer me support. You just gave a whole speech about needing numbers. You should have let them stay here until my return.”

  “And they will continue to offer you support,” Tilda retorted. “From the wildlands, where I sent them. You are allied with them, remember? Call for their support in Hammerton, but do not bring them here. I don't want gangs of transients in my streets.”

  My nostrils flared, and I shook with anger. There would be no use in continuing to argue. If the queen had lived this long being this ignorant and uncaring, there was nothing I could say that would change her. I would simply look forward to her future assassination.

  “I will call for the support of the underground,” I finally said, my voice trembling with held back anger, “but how am I to know that as soon as Hammerton is taken with their aid, you won't pull your armies from Chairel?”

  Queen Tilda gave me an even stare. “I suppose you can never know that for sure, my dear, much like I can never fully know that your intentions are pure.” Her eyes scanned over all of her Sentinels. “That is part of this little business we call politics.”

  “You have two new Sentinels to promote,” I said, nodding toward the five out of seven who stood alongside me. “I want our agreements updated with their names. And Zephyr's, since she wasn't here to sign our alliance.”

  The queen chuckled. “I don't understand your insistence on such things, but I'll grant that. It takes but two seconds to sign a name.”

  Yes, I thought, which is a tiny amount of time to spend on agreeing to such a huge commitment. Let's hope your Sentinels take it more seriously than you do.

  “Will that satiate you?” The queen finally asked, when I'd been quiet.