“We fight together,” Nyx coughs before she nearly passes out. Touching her chin, she finds that she is spitting up blood that is seeping into her lungs. “I still have my magic. This isn’t the time to let a little internal bleeding slow me down.”
Timoran sprints by and grabs Nyx to carry her away, his great axe swinging behind him to deflect a club thrown by the Baron. “I have her, my friend. Good luck.”
Stepping away from her father, Dariana shields her friends’ escape from his mind and forces his attention to her clenched fists. Releasing her full power, the telepath’s hair changes from silver to black and her eyes become sapphire orbs. The two immortals circle each other, their movements gradually carrying them towards a nearby marketplace. Once they are among the abandoned stalls and crates, the Baron summons a longsword and lunges at his daughter. Dariana easily sidesteps the weapon and shatters it with a palm strike, her father already conjuring another in his other hand. When she attempts to break the second blade, the glass shield appears to stop her fist and leaves her open to a slash across the belly. Annoyed by her own mistake, the telepath grabs the sharp disc and kicks high to deflect the next sword strike. With her hands bleeding from the deep wounds, she rips the buckler off the warlord’s gauntlet and swings it to cut him across the face. The ugly gash runs under his nose and seeps blood into his mouth, which forces him to back away and heal.
As soon as the Baron looks away, he loses track of Dariana and slowly turns in preparation of her next attack. An elbow comes from his right and he creates a staff to block, the wood splintering from the strike. Materializing as she continues her assault, the telepath drives her father further into the marketplace. Every attack is stopped by a weapon that is broken by her incredible strength, but both combatants can see that her powers are dwindling. Hoping to cripple her father, she attempts a faint with her foot and turns it into a spinning kick that connects with the Baron’s shoulder. It sends him crashing into a small building, which he picks up with one hand and smashes on top of his daughter’s head. Dariana bursts out of the wreckage feet first to deliver a knee strike to the other immortal’s chest, which dents his armor. The man stumbles back and coughs up a fleck of bone, but he lurches forward to slam his fist into the ground and send the champion flying back from the explosive force. She leaves furrows in the street before hitting a building at the far end of the marketplace and slumping to her knees.
Catching sight of her reflection, Dariana notices that some of her hair is turning back to silver and her eyes are nearly white again. Hoping to give her friends more time to get away and bring down the dome, she turns off her pain receptors and unlocks the last bit of power she always keeps restrained out of fear of going too far. The telepath charges the Baron, her speed and momentum creating a powerful gale that hurls stalls and carts down the street. Screaming at the top of her lungs, she throws a punch at her father’s head, but ends up running by him with no resistance. Looking at her side, Dariana finds nothing more than a stump where her arm used to be. Refusing to give up, she pivots and tries for a kick that misses when the Baron calmly leans away. His crystalline sword lashing out to sever Dariana’s other arm, the limb bursting into silver flames to prevent her from reattaching it.
“I wish there was another way, but you refused to stop,” the Baron whispers as his daughter returns to her normal state. He reaches out to touch her cheek, but the champion abruptly vanishes from his senses. “Hiding yourself from view and preventing the wounds from bleeding, so I cannot track you. These are the tactics that make me proud. Are you going to attack me again? No, I believe you retreated out of fear of losing a leg and becoming entirely useless to your friends. Too bad because I wanted to know if you were reading my mind to know what weapon I would unleash next. That is why I did not think of drawing one before conjuring this beautiful . . . Now, when did you crack this?”
The Baron holds up his crystalline sword and taps about the damaged spot, the blade shattering into a cloud of shards. A sudden wave of magic courses through the immortal’s veins and tears his thoughts away from his injured daughter. He rises above the buildings and searches for the source, which he realizes is coming from outside of the city. Watching the blurry armies on the other side of the dome, the warlord gets the sense that he is about to have more than the champions to worry about. Drifting towards the arena, he strikes the ground with a bolt of acid that creates a shaft leading to his former fortress. The city and countryside rumble as black energy flows from the edge of the hole and head for the collection of gold-plated bones that lies beneath the surface. Clattering teeth can be heard from above and a chorus of mournful howls erupt from the very soil.
“Come forth and fight for me!” the Baron declares, his voice booming into the earth. He watches as golden skeletons crawl out of the sewers, his former trophies accompanied by spirits that are barely visible in the sunlight. Oozing out of the dirt, faceless archers made entirely of blood take form and make their way up the stairs to claim a high vantage point. “You are now my army! Kill any mortals that you find, but leave the champions for me. Help me claim victory and resurrection shall be yours. Now march!”
16
“I don’t think this is right,” Kira says as she pushes her way to the front of the chaos elf army. Gripping her chain and sickle, the bronze-skinned woman stops to rub her cold arms and allow Fizzle to land on her head. “We keep seeing explosions in there, but there are no noises coming out. I have a really bad feeling about this. Are you sure Nimby and the Lich can be trusted?”
Sipping at her third invigoration potion, Queen Trinity quietly waits for the black-haired heiress to relax. After suffering multiple disasters and losses during her journey for the mysterious crests, the cobalt-skinned channeler does not want to consider that she helped the wrong side. Yet, the longer they watch the battle from afar and in silence, the more she thinks Kira is right. Whispering to the blonde-haired chaos elf next to her, Trinity sends Quail to the large tent where the other leaders are waiting. She whistles to the mapper, who only has one foot, and signals for him to reach his destination with a single leap. Noticing Tigris Wrath eyeing her, she politely waves at the Snow Tiger Queen and yawns in the hopes that she will not be called over for questions. She continues to quietly wait while finishing her potion, her eyes locked on a distant figure hurling lightning bolts at the ground.
“I sent Quail to talk to the others and voice your concerns as my own,” Trinity says while picking grass out of her ebony hair. She nearly jumps back when Kira hands her a brush, which she takes with a polite bow. “To answer your question, I can’t be sure about either of them. I do have faith in Nimby since he is determined to make amends with Luke. The Lich is what worries me. Tyler can be an idiot when riled up, but the monster has been crafty enough to survive on the front line for a couple hundred years. There were a few times during our journey that I wondered about his loyalties.”
“Fizzle no smell friends,” the drite announces while flying tight circles around the two women. He is stopped when Trinity catches him by the tail and flips him onto his shoulder, the dragon impressed by how she caught him so easily. “Fizzle eye spell. Very thick and not let any pass. Fizzle think strange. Spell keep Baron in with friends. Also keep Fizzle and other friends away.”
“Aedyn said it looks like it can’t be broken from either side too,” Kira adds, handing Fizzle an apple. Shivering in the cold, she bounces on her toes and rolls her shoulders to stop her muscles from locking up. “If the champions win then how do they get out of there? Looks like that thing can contain even Nyx’s magic. No offense.”
Trinity snorts at the final comment while her eyes turn a deep gold and then a shimmering red that drips from her tear ducts. “None taken since she’s beaten me enough to prove her strength. I’ll beat her one of these days since I doubt the Baron can kill her. That woman is too damn stubborn and angry to die of anything other than old age. Even then, I’m sure she’ll find a way to put up a fight. This i
s really strange. I’m guessing Lord Karwyn did a regular magic sight spell like I started with. That dome has the outward appearance of a barrier spell, but it gets odd when I try to look beneath the surface. Unfortunately, try is all I can do because I can’t pierce the thing without hemorrhaging magic. The strands are so densely packed that there’s no way one could dispel it unless they were the original caster. A channeler might be able to do it if they pushed themselves to their limits or managed to absorb the whole thing. Doubt Nyx could do that after the battle, so you’re right that the champions might not be able to get out even after they defeat the Baron.”
“Lord Skyblade and Mayor Highrider have the same concerns,” Quail says as he hurries back to the army. The mapper grips his crutch and gasps for air, his face bathed in sweat. “They are discussing rams and examining the ocean. If there is a way under the dome then we can get in on the harbor side with help from the sea elves.”
“All of that will take time that the champions won’t have if this really is a trap.”
“Your highness, I feel that it’s wisest to assume you were betrayed.”
“Let’s hold off on stabbing my pride until we have proof.”
“I am simply suggesting that we act on the side of caution.”
The chaos elves stop arguing when Kira whistles loud enough to startle the army’s front line. She points at the southern side of Gaia where the dome is clear enough to see details of those inside. They watch as a large beast with metallic wings and the body of wolf rams its beaked head against the barrier. It moves out of sight, but returns to continue its attack with a spiked tail. Landing on the tallest building, the creature rears back and spits a fiery orb that is absorbed by the dome. More of the soldiers notice the disturbance and begin to move out of position to get a better look at the bizarre beast. It sinks beneath the wall, which shudders and hums every time it is struck. Trinity whistles louder than Kira to silence everyone, the distant echo of a roaring screech reaching her pointy and magically augmented ears.
“Everyone stay here, except for Kira and Fizzle!” the chaos elf shouts as she runs to the wall. Listening for where the banging is loudest, she moves her hands along the stone and waves for her companions to do the same. “Let me know if you find a crack or hole that is letting wind through. If you can hear me, Luke, then flap your wings to send air our way.”
“I knew that was him as a chimera,” Kira excitedly says while putting her hand against any spot that looks like an opening. Not finding anything, she uses the sickle of her kusari-gama to chip away at some weakened stone. “Forget this. We can’t dig through the wall and finding even a small crack will take too long. Unless there’s something I’m missing, we should go back to the camp and discuss the situation with the others.”
“Fizzle find crack!” the drite announces from halfway up the wall. Putting his mouth against the wall, he puffs out some rainbow smoke and leans away when it is blown back. “Wing breeze goes through. This good or bad?”
“That means the dome stops on top of the wall and doesn’t go into it or the ground,” Trinity replies as she spots a discolored brick. Touching the stone, she can sense the crest inside and instantly recognizes the magic. “I got used again. These crests were enchanted by the Baron, but his power stayed dormant until they were placed in the wall. Still, I should have known considering Ashkeep was nothing more than a city-sized shrine to him. That bastard used me to help him again. Well, I’m not going to play nice.”
“What are you going to do?” Kira asks when the channeler storms back to the armies. She has to jog to keep up with the other woman whose hands are glowing. “Don’t take any of this personally. I’ll vouch for you if anyone accuses you of being a traitor. I mean to our side since you’re technically already one to the Baron. You’re starting to make me nervous, Trinity. Let’s have the barbarians break down the front gate and attack.”
The chaos elf whirls around and softens her smile before tightly gripping Kira by the shoulder. “Cracks are one thing, but the dome could cover a gap of that size before all of us can pass. If that happens then we’ll be divided and defeated in seconds. The dome might be indestructible, but I can sense that the sources are the weak points. That’s why they’ve sunk into the walls. So, somebody needs to destroy the crests and that’s going to be me. The mistake was mine and I’m going to fix it. Please go warn the Generals that we’ll be entering the battle within a few minutes. Nobody should move ahead unless they want to die. Also, this is going to be loud and make a mess.”
Trinity waits for Kira to reach the tent and convince the leaders to step outside before she moves closer to the wall. Waving for the chaos elves to spread out in front of the other armies, she slows her breathing and closes her eyes. Focusing on her aura, the channeler sends as much of it to her fingertips as she can without losing any of the liquefied magic. As if casting a net, she swings her arms and watches the collection of glistening threads arch through the air. Each one lands on the wall and burrows into the stone to create a network of tunnels that run the entire length of the thick fortifications. Feeling the crests resist her attempt to pry them loose, Trinity sighs and settles for the plan she knew the situation would come down to. Her arms burst into emerald and violet light, which coils along the threads and bores into the wall. Sparks fly from her ebony hair and plumes of energy rise from her back to whip at the chilly air. A wave of heat rolls from her body and bounces off the wall to create a sea of haze that goes no higher than the channeler’s knees. The armies move back at the display of power, which sends a chill down every spine and causes the gathered priests to pray to their gods and goddesses.
“I really want to say something inspiring or memorable here, but I’m just going to let my actions speak for me,” Trinity says before turning to the armies. Gripping all of the threads in her fists, she sends a final blast of magic along them and explodes the wall into a rain of pebbles that spans for miles in every direction. “And there goes the dome. Chaos elves charge in first and the rest of you can get those we miss.”
*****
Hiding in the basement of a pottery shop, Delvin finishes healing an unconscious Nyx enough for her to stay in the battle. Not wanting to use too much of his energy, the warrior lets Sari and Timoran tend to their own wounds with what they can find. He wipes the sweat from his brow and takes another cup of water from a cool barrel that he hopes is for drinking. The strange taste tells him that it is most likely used to keep the clay moist, but he gulps down another mouthful out of necessity. Feeling a cool hand on his shoulder, Delvin grips it and turns thinking it is Nyx. Instead, he finds Sari forcing herself to smile while ejecting the bits of clay from his drink. Looking beyond the gypsy, he watches his groaning fiancée and wonders if he should wake her. The warrior considers himself lucky to have realized the Baron had poisoned her aura with his last attack. Reaching out with his own power, Delvin gives Nyx a little more magic, which she ravenously absorbs. For a terrifying moment, he feels as if she will devour him whole, but the connection is severed after a few seconds. He continues staring at the injured channeler, whose breathing remains ragged while tiny flames dance along her clenched fists.
“Your arms are gone!” Sari shouts when Dariana comes downstairs. The telepath calmly takes a seat and uses her foot to grab a cup of water. “Can we just not see them? No, they’re definitely gone. You should come over here and do something, Delvin. How have you not bled to death? Shouldn’t you have collapsed from shock?”
“It happened too fast for the shock to hit me. That or I denied the sensation without knowing what I was doing,” Dariana casually replies while rolling her shoulders. She holds out a leg to politely keep Delvin away and flashes a crooked smile. “I’m sorry, but I can’t let you do anything to help me. Regenerating limbs will require more energy than you can spare. Besides, I still have my legs and my kicks have always been stronger than my punches. If you insist on doing anything, please heal over my wounds, so I don’t start bleeding
again. Cutting off the circulation is getting difficult.”
Touching her stumps, Delvin cringes as his fingers sink into her neatly cut flesh. “This is one of the most disgusting things I’ve ever had to do. Although, I should thank you for being so calm. Most people would be at least a little concerned that they don’t have any arms. Will they grow back over time?”
“No, but my body will eventually decay in the Spirit Well, so why not put it on the line during such an important battle?” the telepath asks, her eyes closing to help her focus. A pulse of energy hits her at the same time Delvin finishes, the source coming from far away. “I have good news and bad news. My father has awoken the spirits and his former trophies, which were buried with his fortress. I believe Timoran, Nyx, and Delvin remember them from when they retrieved the Compass Key. He now has an army of undead in order to meet our friends who are about to enter Gaia. Luke must have gotten a message to Trinity because she is going to destroy the city wall, crests, and dome . . . right . . . about . . . now.”
The champions feel a slight tremor through the ground and they wait for a larger noise that never comes. Distant shouts can be heard from the charging armies, including a high-pitched yell that is followed by an explosion. Refusing to stay out of the fight, the battered heroes gather their weapons and Dariana goes to wake Nyx. A loud crack can be heard from above before the building starts to collapse and burn. The doorway caves in, trapping the champions inside the basement that is steadily becoming a debris-filled pit. Sari uses the remaining water from the barrel to create ice pillars that strain against whatever is pushing down on them. Delvin finally snaps out of his stupor and taps Timoran on the shoulder to get the barbarian to follow him. The brown-haired warrior examines the ceiling for a second before slashing a mark on the part that is the center of the implosion. With a bellow that shatters the pottery around them, the barbarian slams his great axe into the building and sends it hurtling into the sky. The structure explodes against the Baron’s hand, which hisses from the escaping steam.
Warlord of the Forgotten Age Page 30
