by Steve McHugh
“He’s yours,” I told Rebecca and kicked the dagger over to her before stepping through the realm gate with Caitlin, directly into a battleground.
I disarmed three people, one without serious lasting injuries, as I made my way to Harrison, who had a litter of bodies at his feet. He swung a huge hammer of marble at one attacker with enough force to cave in his chest.
“Fucking hell, not you too,” Harrison seethed. “Don’t we have enough shit to deal—”
“Shut the fuck up and listen,” I snapped. “Karl Steiner and about a hundred and fifty people are on their way here. And according to him, at least ten thousand citizens of Shadow Falls are already waiting on this side, ready to attack. Although it appears that last bit has started.”
“You’re not fucking kidding, there’s a war on the streets. About a hundred men stormed the temple not long ago. Most of them are dead now, but they just keep fucking coming.”
“I need to get to Galahad. I need to warn him.”
“I’m not letting you near my king—”
“Think for a second. I’m not here to hurt him, but if several thousand people start trying to attacking the palace, how long to do you think it’ll be before someone among his own people shows their true colors and goes for him?”
“Fucking hell,” he snapped. “What about Simon?”
“One thing at a time, Galahad first, then Simon. Karl wants this temple taken, so he’s going to send everything at it. You need to hold this place like it was the king himself.”
“Ah, will you look at that,” Patricia said as she stepped into the temple and saw me. “I guess you killed some more of my lions.”
“Yeah,” I smirked. “Bianca’s probably not in any state to join your little sojourn to this fair city.
Joshua glared at me. “You murdered my girl.”
“Oh, that’s right you two were a couple,” I said. “Yeah, sorry about that. If you like you could keep her head in a bag. It’s already detached so, it’s easy enough to do.”
Joshua roared at me and changed into his werebeast form mid-stride.
“Get behind me,” I whispered, which Caitlin did immediately, followed by Harrison a second later.
“You’re in the wrong fucking realm,” I snapped and threw a blast of air at Joshua.
In our realm it would have knocked him back, maybe causing some bruises and cuts. It was a sizeable amount of magic in the scheme of things, but nothing compared to what I’d done to the cave troll a few hours earlier. But here in Shadow Falls, with the particles of magic in the air, it was devastating.
The wall at the front of the temple vanished as the air slammed into it like a jet. Patricia sprinted for cover, avoiding the majority of the blast, but Joshua had been right in the middle of it, and I noticed him slam into the ground outside the temple.
“Holy shit,” Harrison whispered before quickly remembering who I was. “Yeah, that was pretty good.”
I’d slammed my hands into the floor of the temple as I tried to switch off my magic. The rock was breaking up, disintegrating before me, but after a few seconds I managed to will my magic off.
“I’ll deal with Joshua,” I said. “Just keep that gate free.”
The other defenders of the temple, all of whom had finished fighting, were staring at me with a mixture of fear and awe. I wasn’t about to tell them that I couldn’t keep using magic, it was too unpredictable, too powerful. Innocent people would die if I started using it in populated areas.
The feeling of power was overwhelming. I’d always been warned of using magic in Shadow Falls, and the small amounts I’d used before had only confirmed the dangers. The huge amount of force I’d just used was similar in scope to what the most powerful sorcerers in the world could easily access outside of Shadow Falls. If Merlin ever came to Shadow Falls and used his magic, the results would be like detonating a nuclear bomb. It was no wonder they guarded their realm gates so completely.
I strode across the temple floor in silence, walking down the steps past dozens of huge chunks of granite and marble. Dozens of men, all armed and armored, darted into the mouth of the temple as I made my way around to the side of the building to deal with Joshua. He was too dangerous to leave alone, and Caitlin, Harrison, and his men had more than enough to deal with.
Joshua was crouched by a huge piece of stone, his body bleeding from a multitude of cuts and tears in his flesh.
“I have to put you down,” I told him. “I’m sorry your mum is psychotic, but you’re never going to change. People like you don’t get better. They just keep killing.”
“You’ll never kill me,” he said with a defiant roar.
“Back in our realm, this would have been a close fight. You’re far too strong and fast for me to think it would have been an easy victory for me. But here in Shadow Falls, it’s not even a contest.”
Joshua ran at me, swiping wildly with animal ferocity. I used a small amount of air magic, enough to extinguish a candle, and blasted his arm aside, then slammed a palm of air into his chest. He spun and landed roughly on the ground several feet back.
“You and your sick kin killed people I cared about,” I said as I walked toward him. “You wanted me here to kill me, to show me all the pain and sorrow you were going to inflict.”
“Caitlin will never forgive you for killing me,” he said with a snarl.
“That’s just something I’ll have to live with.” What was meant to be a whip of fire turned into a plume, which not only tore Joshua apart but also incinerated his remains before they fell back to earth, leaving the ground scorched beneath him.
Once again, I placed my hands on the ground as my magic refused to stop. By the time it did, the earth beneath my hands would probably never support growth again. I stepped over the body and made my way down toward the trams, which were still working. Apparently Karl’s men hadn’t managed to find their revolution as easy as they would have liked.
There was a battle behind me in the temple, one I hoped Caitlin and Harrison were winning. I wanted to help, but I knew that getting to Galahad was more important. An explosion sounded out from the king’s district, rocking the very ground beneath my feet.
CHAPTER 36
The trams moved too slowly. That was my overriding thought as I watched the fire and smoke rise from the king’s district of Shadow Falls. Far below me, the people of the town had begun to figure out what was happening and started fighting the attackers in the streets, defending their loved ones and homes.
I was almost clawing at the tram doors by the time I reached my destination. As the doors opened, I heard a loud horn. I had no idea what it was signaling, but I soon found myself sprinting off the platform and into the crowd of people, who were trying to get away from the insanity that had engulfed the city.
A man wielding a curved sword, screamed obscenities and charged the crowd, ready to attack a group of women and children. I moved to intercept him, grabbing his sword arm as he swung toward me and snapping the elbow. He released the sword and I caught it before it fell to the ground. I swung around intending to cut through his neck but remembered there were children watching. I moved the sword at the last moment and caught the attacker in the temple with the hilt of the weapon. It opened a sizeable gash above his eye and knocked him unconscious, but at least he remained in one piece.
I passed the sword to a nearby woman, who had a child no more than five or six clinging to her leg. “You need to find somewhere safe to stay until this is all over.”
“We’re going to the temple.”
“There’s fighting happening up there, it’s not safe.”
“You don’t understand, we’re not going there to hide. We’re going there to send our children through the portal and then we’ll join the fight. This is our home, we will not let it fall.”
There were maybe forty women and half as many children.
I wanted to tell them that their plan was foolish, that they were putting their own lives in jeopardy. That they should find somewhere to hole up until it was finished. But I couldn’t. Based on their fierce expressions, they wouldn’t have listened to me. Hell, I wouldn’t have listened to me in the same circumstances.
“Look, I know you’re keen to help, but if you go up there with kids, some could get hurt.”
“What do you advise?” she asked
“We know what we’re doing,” another woman said. “We wouldn’t risk our children.”
“Then be careful and give me five minutes,” I said and ran off as several more explosions came from Leonardo’s side of the district. As I got closer, I found several people already dead or unconscious in the street.
Another explosion tore off part of a nearby building, showering me in stone and dust as I dove for cover behind a wall.
“Fucking hell, Leonardo, will you stop that shit?” I screamed as loud as I could, hoping he’d hear me from within his now fortress-like house.
“Nate, is that you?”
“Most of me,” I said and stood. “I think you may have blasted some bits off.”
Leonardo opened his front door and motioned for me to hurry toward him. “I can’t, there’s a lot of women and children by the trams. They need safe haven. They want to go fight at the temple, but it’s too dangerous. Do you have room?”
“Of course,” he exclaimed. “My home is safe as can be. I already have most of the neighborhood in the back.”
He disappeared back inside, giving me the chance to study the building, which had grown considerably since I’d last seen it. The windows had changed to small slots, and the corners had been smoothed and rounded.
Unless the enemy had siege machines, I was confident that Leonardo could not only defend himself, but could probably repair any damage to the building quicker than it could be inflicted.
Antonio appeared a moment later and I told him where to find the women and children. He ran off, a huge battle-axe strapped to his back and a sword in his hand.
“You feel like telling me how you’re blowing things up?” I asked.
Leonardo produced several thumb-sized crystals. “A quick application of alchemy and then let them go,” he said. “They make fantastic explosives when applied correctly.”
“You heard from Galahad?”
Leonardo shook his head sadly. “No, I’m afraid to say. I’m sure he’s okay, although if these bastards have already infiltrated the palace, he’s probably got a hell of a fight on his hands.”
I heard the sound of Antonio and his rabble of refugees soon after. He carried at least four children either in his arms or draped around his neck, a big beaming smile plastered across his face.
“No, you can’t keep them,” Leonardo mocked as Antonio stopped beside us.
“I think by the time we’re done, I’ll be more than ready to hand them back to their parents,” he said, and his face soon took on a serious expression. “Some of these women were attacked by their friends. Why would they do that?”
“Money, power, and stupidity,” Leonardo said. “You’re all safe here, I promise you,” he shouted to the women.
“We want to fight,” the woman who had spoken to me earlier said.
“Well, the door is right there, I’m sure you’ll find some people who can accommodate you,” Leonardo told her. “Alternatively, you can stay here and help defend this little patch of city. I’d rather ensure that no one made their way into this house.” He paused and stepped away from the door, but no one moved.
“You may think that I’m under the impression that women can’t fight,” he continued. “I care little for that way of thinking. We all know that women are more than capable of fighting battles. But these children need their parents, be that male or female, and make no mistake, there are men here already, waiting to defend their families and homes from all comers.
“So, your options are easy; if you’d prefer to wander the streets in search of battle, I wish you good luck. Or you can sit here and wait for the inevitable battle that will surely take place, not leaving your children alone and afraid while you go and find a war, which will come to you.” The last sentence was said with an ice-cold stare, and no one else spoke out about going to find someone to fight again.
“I need to go,” I told Leonardo and Antonio. “Keep yourselves safe.”
Antonio offered his hand, which I took. “Keep safe, give them hell.”
Leonardo and I watched his assistant walk off, trying to keep busy. “I worry for him,” my friend said as we walked toward the front door, which was devoid of any of the house’s newcomers. “He used to fight a lot, in the army, as a mercenary, whatever was available. I’m not sure he is dealing very well with the sudden increase in violence in the area.”
“He’ll be fine, just remind him of the things he has here if he starts to slip back into old habits.”
Leonardo stared at me and it took a lot of effort not to grin.
“Yes, well, keep my king safe. He’s the best one we’ve had, and quite frankly I don’t think many others would indulge my whims quite so readily.”
“Galahad is a better fighter than I am,” I said honestly.
“Yes, he’s probably better than even his father, but we both know that being a great fighter doesn’t win wars. Arthur learned the hard way that being whiter than white doesn’t do anything, except make you a big bright target. Galahad may not see the world in quite the same polarized way, but he’s not exactly cut out to do things that may need to be done. And you.…”
“I am cut out for it.”
“Sorry, Nate, but Galahad chose you for a reason back in ’77. His line was drawn long ago. Until he was convinced to move it and lie to you, it had been rigid for a long time. Yours is always in flux depending on the situation. It makes you a much more dangerous person than Galahad could even comprehend. It’s not about power; it’s about the willingness to do something that will stop your enemy cold. The willingness to win at any cost.”
“What are you getting at?”
“Galahad needs your support. He needs people to know the power of his friends. Specifically one friend.”
“Me?”
Leonardo shook his head. “You need to go make sure people know whose side you’re on once and for all. You need to make a statement. Or rather, Hellequin does.”
I left Leonardo’s house soon after and raced toward the palace as the horn rang out once more. The closer I got, the more bodies were littered across the ground, most in the amour of Galahad’s personal guard. I continued up the stairs as quickly as possible until I heard the almighty crack from one of the lightening rods above, and the screams that followed. Apparently, Leonardo’s invention worked quite well.
The top of the stairs was mostly empty, although the remains of the palace doors could be found with every step. There was also an increase in the number of bodies, although very few of them wore any kind of amour.
I jogged up to the doors and stepped inside as the sounds of battle overwhelmed my senses. Dozen upon dozens of people were fighting one another in the large hall just inside the entrance, and blood was flowing freely, having already stained the floor and walls. I strode through the insanity, pushing people aside if they got too close. I made it about half way when two men stood in front of me.
The first, a stocky older man with a bald head and bloody face, raised his sword toward me. “You are not one of us.”
“I’m wondering,” I said, mostly ignoring him. “Why the sword? Of the fighting I’ve seen, a lot are using their alchemy as a weapon, but the closer to the palace the more sword and dagger cuts. Why is that?”
“We do not wish to waste our power on those who can die by the sword. These scum do not deserve to die with the honor of having alchemy used on them.”
I whi
stled slightly. “Wow, you two are going to die quickly.”
Another five arrived around me as the fighting died down.
“Care to change that opinion?” the first man asked.
“No,” Galahad said from on top of the balcony above us before launching himself down at his enemy.
He used a sword of brightest silver, something I was sure he had created himself as the battle reached him, and every single blow he landed was deadly. I consider myself good with a sword; in some circles, I would be considered an expert. Next to Galahad I looked like I was moving in slow motion. He was, and always had been, the finest man with a blade I’d ever met. The seven men died as I stepped back to let the king work. He was in no danger. He was barely even breaking a sweat. He was however, covered in blood. I would have bet every penny I had that not a single drop of it was his.
When he was done, the silver blade morphed into a forearm guard. “You killed many?” he asked one of the soldiers nearby as his surviving men bowed to him, the enemy vanquished. For now.
“Yes, my king,” the soldier said and bowed his head further.
“None of you men bow to me today,” Galahad said. “Every single man here is defending his home and his life. We are not king and subject. We are one.” He pulled the nearest man upright and placed a bloody hand against the soldier’s heart. “We beat as one. We bleed as one, and we sure as hell fight as one.”
A tear fell down the man’s face.
“No one here bows to me. And any man or woman in this room who survives this will never have to bow to me again,” he shouted the last sentence and every single man and woman in that room stood a little taller, their chests welling with pride.
He turned to me, the only one in the room who hadn’t bowed in the first place and rested his hand on my shoulder. “Where is Caitlin?”
“The temple, dealing with her mum and a few other assholes. Harrison is helping, so he should be able to spot the assholes pretty easily. They can tell their own kind, yes?”
The soldier nearest me smiled and looked away.
