by Frank Morin
Connor held her tight, and the feel of his strong arms helped wash away the horror of battle and the fear of death still clinging to her. She shuddered under a spring of new hope and gazed up at him, daring to smile.
He looked so concerned. “Are you all right? Did they hurt you?”
“No. I’m fine. What are you doing here?”
He kissed her briefly, and his lips quivered against hers. In fact, his entire body was wracked with tremors. She realized he was shaking with relief. He’d been convinced he was going to lose her. The level of emotion radiating off of him brought tears to her eyes.
Connor said simply, “I couldn’t leave you to face this alone.”
“But your mission,” she protested, even though she was so relieved he’d returned that it was hard to speak.
“We’ll deal with that. First, we’ll deal with these monsters.” His tone turned grim and his expression merciless. He glanced back to the monsters and only then did she realize he’d destroyed the other two earth-bound too.
“The queen tried to hurt you. I’ll make her pay for that. Today her army pays,” he growled in a furious tone, and fires danced in his eyes.
Connor leaped straight into the air and elements gathered around him. Crimson flames, silvery water, and black earth. The sounds of battle trumpets bugled around him as he shot into the air, hands extended.
Verena cheered. She hadn’t expected to live, let alone feel content within minutes of nearly dying, but seeing Connor wield elements with such skill bolstered her hope. The siege was broken. The monsters were about to realize it. She loved having such a handy boyfriend.
Seven flying monsters, drawn by the movement and bright light, swept in from every direction, closing on Connor, shrieking with bloodlust.
Connor destroyed them.
Two of them just exploded. Verena had no idea what he did to them. The others were ripped to shreds under elemental fury. Their death shrieks were cut short, and Connor drew in the flames from one of them, enveloping him in a shroud of destruction.
Verena rushed back to the charred cockpit of the Swift and settled into the remains of her chair. The smell of ash hung heavy around her. Most of the padding on her chair was gone, leaving it a lumpy, uncomfortable frame. The wooden interior had burned away, exposing the skeleton of her Swift, and the sight made her want to weep.
Connor’s return filled her with hope, but she refused to remain trapped in the square. “I know you’re not dead,” she muttered to her beloved Swift, flicking her Builder senses across it. She found the basic flight controls still working, and grinned, patting the charred front dash.
It wouldn’t perform nearly so nimbly, but it would fly. Verena activated thrusters and carefully ascended. The Swift groaned, but she believed if it was a person, it would insist it could still carry her, and not complain about the abuse. It rattled, as if on the verge of simply falling apart.
As she rose slowly into the sky, thrusters sputtering, craft shaking, she activated the speakstone to the commanders. “Connor is back!”
“Are you sure?” Rory demanded. Sounds of battle reverberated through the connection. He was the only one to respond.
“Yes. He’s coming!” she assured him.
Rory laughed and shouted, “Reinforcements! Come on you lot, fight like you mean it!”
He broke into a hearty battle song just before the connection cut out. Verena smiled. With Rory’s hope renewed, they’d hold until Connor could help.
She spotted Connor easily, crossing the city like a whirlwind of destruction. Everywhere he passed, monsters exploded or were ripped to shreds by elemental fury. He was heading toward the embattled military command building.
A flash of light drew her gaze to the east. Something moved across the city so fast it looked like a shooting star, only it skipped across rooftops. Ringed in white-hot flames, the living meteor slammed into the mass of water-bound monsters swarming Ivor.
The impact detonated like a Last Word bomb, scattering monsters and ripping them into shrieking steam. Verena activated the long-vision capability of the Swift. The viewscreen appeared, crackled a few times, but finally the sight magnified. The view was a little distorted and far less clear than usual, but it worked and she recognized the newcomer.
Kilian.
He had landed crouched on one knee, one fist pressed to the stone at the top of the wall. The stone looked cracked and blackened. Ivor was sprawled nearby, looking rattled by the blast.
Kilian rose and sauntered over to him, flames pulsing across his shoulders. He hauled Ivor to his feet and Verena easily read Ivor’s relief. He looked battered and exhausted. He probably wouldn’t have lasted much longer.
Kilian gestured toward the flooded section of the city. Ivor grinned, his expression turning predatory. Together the two of them jumped off the wall. Verena lost sight of them, but suddenly felt convinced the water-bound swarm was about to be terminated.
“Verena!”
She turned to see the Hawk flaring to hover nearby. Hamish sat at the controls alone. He stared at the battered Swift. “How are you even flying that wreck?”
“Skill,” she said with a happy grin.
He laughed. “I can’t wait to hear the story of how much skill it took to wreck it.”
“I’ll land and join you,” she told him, happy to switch to an air-worthy flyer. The Swift was just about dead. She had enough parts in one of the warehouses to rebuild it, but that would take a few days.
In seconds they ascended over Merkland and Verena asked, “What about Aifric?”
Hamish gestured toward the southern end of the city. “She jumped out to help Anton break the siege on the palace.”
“Anton is alive?” she exclaimed, feeling immensely relieved. She’d feared she’d lost him.
“Alive and really angry. Dressed in an earthen suit like that one Harley used to spank the Althins last fall. He charged into a horde of monsters and just ripped them apart. Seems motivated to finish the fight before lunch.”
Verena laughed. “Oh, Hamish. I’m so happy to see you.”
His smile faded as he glanced out over the devastated city. “We almost didn’t return.”
She placed a hand on his arm. “I’m so glad you did. I don’t think any of us would have survived.”
“We almost didn’t,” he repeated softly, his expression haunted. “Verena, we were going to leave you all. Connor’s mission is that important, but . . .”
He trailed off and focused on her, his eyes clearing. “But we don’t leave friends behind to die.”
45
Time Waits for No Man
Connor landed in the huge square in front of the main palace. The cobblestones were blackened in places, but mostly intact, although the huge fountain that had stood in the center of the square was smashed.
The palace had suffered terrible damage from the summoned horde. The inner wall surrounding the palace was simply gone, and the entire front facade was cracked and pockmarked with two dozen gaping holes. The giant double doors at the main entrance had buckled, and pieces of one swung slowly, askew on only one hinge. From the glimpses he caught of the wrecked interior, fighting had been intense.
Rows of injured were being gathered along the opposite side of the square. Hundreds of soldiers lay on cots or blankets or coats, or only on hard stone, groaning, crying, or trying to comfort each other. Two dozen white-robed Healers were tending them, assisted by scores of assistants.
Shona stood nearby, conferring with General Rory and other senior officers. Anika stood close to Rory, with a very battered Erich hovering protectively nearby. Connor didn’t see Tomas and Cameron, but had heard they survived the fighting with their usual unflappable enthusiasm.
Like most of the others, Shona was covered in blood and monster gore, her hair tangled, her face dirty, but she still clutched a wicked-looking battle mace in one hand and carried herself with her usual grace.
Rory was missing most of his armor. His thick
chest still rippled with stone-hardened muscle, and almost every inch of him was covered in white scratch marks where monster claws and teeth had scored him. If he ran out of granite, he’d bleed out so fast, Connor doubted anyone could save him, but he still moved with vigor.
Anika, who looked more energized than exhausted by the recent near-death battle, was monitoring him closely, holding an extra portion of granite in case he needed it. One Healer approached him, but he gestured the woman toward the more severely injured.
Connor felt so relieved to see his friends alive. He’d broken the siege on the military command building just as the monster horde was breaking through in five different places. The defenders had fought valiantly, but were at the point of getting overrun.
Connor had torn into the monsters with a towering fury. He’d tapped obsidian, chert, and a little porphyry to help improve his connection to the elements. The emotions of the defenders had swept through him like a raw torrent, full of despair and fear, but also determination. The rampager in his heart had howled with approval as he’d embraced battle rage in a way he never had without transforming. He was glad there had still been so many summoned creatures left because he’d needed a lot of targets for his rage.
The sight of Verena standing defiant in that square next to the blackened Swift, sword raised in the face of that charging monster, still filled Connor with fury. She’d never looked so beautiful, and perhaps he’d never come so close to losing her.
The fact that he and the others in the Hawk had almost chosen not to return filled him with icy terror. He’d almost left Verena to die.
His hands shook with anger at Queen Dreokt for threatening those he loved, and he glanced back across the battered city, hoping to see a monster he’d missed in his last circuit. There were none.
After destroying the monsters attacking the military command center, Rory had rallied his forces to charge back to the palace to assist Anton and Aifric in breaking the siege there. Connor had crossed the city, descending on every knot of monsters he could find.
He’d eradicated them all. Even caught up in the battle rage, he’d noticed that the elements seemed to respond to his call better than ever. He had enjoyed the exceptional level of elemental mastery while he liberated Merkland and slaughtered more summoned monsters than he could count, but now he wondered at that close link.
The elemental manifestations had walked in his mind, seeming so real he could almost hear them talk. They had not resisted his calls for power, and seemed to approve of his vengeful assault. Was he really getting better, or was it just the towering rage that drove him? Or maybe the fact that they’d beaten the queen’s mind bomb? Had her mental commands been somehow limiting his access? Was that possible?
“Connor!”
The Hawk landed nearby and Verena leaped out. Connor rushed to her and lifted her off the ground in an enthusiastic embrace. He savored the feel of her alive and healthy in his arms.
“I’m so glad you’re safe,” he said.
“You timed that grand entrance pretty tight, Connor,” she said lightly and kissed him on the lips. He could read in her eyes that she’d thought she was going to die.
She tried brushing her hair, but it was a mess, tangled from her wild fight, slightly singed, and never more beautiful. Verena looked battered, her clothing charred, her armor dented, her face blackened, but her spirit unbroken.
Hamish jumped out of the Hawk as the Albatross swept in over the square, flaring for a landing. Every one of its missiles had been fired, but it looked undamaged.
“We made the right choice,” Hamish said, clapping Connor on the shoulder. “But you barely left anything for me to do.”
“You made sure the civilians are all okay,” Connor pointed out.
“Yeah, but they were fine. No monsters in there. Everyone is returning to the surface to help clean up, but I doubt anyone will get much for lunch. Should be able to make a decent dinner, if they’re lucky. I’ll suggest Shona distribute some of the smashpacked stockpile.”
Hamish was consistent. Over the past few months, he’d led a huge team of bakers and cooks tasked with preparing half a million meals and smashpacking them. Merkland had several reinforced warehouses filled to bursting with enough easily transportable meals to feed the entire army for months.
Ivor and Kilian raced into the square on fracked legs and skidded to a halt nearby. Ivor looked exhausted, but exultant. Kilian looked grim, but satisfied. They trotted over, and Aifric raced across the square from where she’d been tending patients and fell into step beside Kilian.
Connor had heard accounts of Aifric’s heroics as the gaggle of women in her head had worked together to destroy dozens of summoned. They’d flowed from one affinity to the next so smoothly, some people were starting to whisper that she might be another Blood of the Tallan.
If only. She smiled at Connor, looking pleased even though her clothing was covered in gore. Her hands were clean, though, and Aifric had taken over as soon as the monsters were destroyed, shifting to healing.
“We’ve cleared the eastern reaches of the city and verified the river is clear,” Kilian said.
“I can’t imagine the queen’s got a second wave, not after sending so many against us, but I’ve already ordered Spitters and Sentries to return to watch, and I’ve sent windriders with Pathfinders ten miles south, just in case,” Ivor reported.
That was good thinking. Connor hadn’t even thought about additional enemies. Merkland had survived, but if the queen had more forces to send against them, they’d find the defenders already exhausted and most of their mechanicals either destroyed or out of ammo.
He needed to leave soon with his small team, race for Jagdish with all speed. They were hours behind schedule. Even before turning back, they’d worried they might not arrive before the queen. They couldn’t afford to wait to see if more enemies were coming.
“I think we’ll be fine,” Verena assured him. “We’re rolling out every replacement mechanical, and we’ve got enough stores to rearm the ones that still function. Merkland’s defenses will be ready should another attack come.”
Shona and Rory moved to join them. Lady Briet exited the Albatross. General Wolfram greeted her there, then the two of them also jogged over. Wolfram looked almost as battered as Rory, and Lady Briet kept reaching out as if wanting to support him.
Connor draped one arm over Verena’s shoulders, feeling a deep sense of contentment to see his friends gathered and alive.
Hamish said, “I just heard from Ilse. She’s en route with a couple hundred reinforcements from the main army moving south from Granadure. She’s got Petralists and Builders and supplies. They’ll arrive within half an hour.”
Verena looked relieved. “Good. She can oversee the outer defenses while Anton rests.”
“He deserves to sleep as long as he wants,” Aifric said, her expression turning awed.
Connor had heard about the mighty Sapper’s underground running battle with the earth-bound swarm. He’d killed hundreds of the creatures and nearly been overwhelmed, but borrowed Harley’s trick of wrapping himself in an earthen battle suit. He’d broken the siege against the palace, and with Aifric’s help had destroyed that swarm.
Kilian greeted Verena with a hug and kissed her forehead, not hiding his relief. “You all had us worried.”
“We’re so glad you came back when you did,” Verena told him.
“We don’t have much time, but I want to hear about the battle,” Kilian said.
Verena and the others took turns relating the incredible siege. Connor felt more and more awed by their heroic efforts to protect the city from the unbelievable swarm.
“Whoa! You activated Kirstin’s Defense?” he exclaimed.
Hamish looked disappointed. “I knew we shouldn’t have left! I wanted to be here when we used it.”
“I’m sorry, but I couldn’t wait,” Verena said, then related the incredible effects of the mechanical. Connor had seen the line of devastat
ion a mile south of the city where the watery wall had stood, but hadn’t seen the corpses of any of the monsters. They were simply gone. Even the ones killed inside the city were melting into muddy sludge.
Hamish whistled softly and handed a smashpacked dessert to Verena. It looked like an entire dozen sweetbreads smashpacked together. “You’re going to have to tell me everything about it when we have more time. I bet we can figure out more of Kirstin’s secrets.”
“Not now, though. We have to leave immediately,” Kilian said.
He was right. Connor felt convinced they’d made the right choice in returning, but if they didn’t reach Jagdish before the queen, they might have sacrificed the success of the greater war in order to win one battle.
“We’ll keep you posted on any other developments via speakstone,” Rory said as they headed for the Hawk.
Connor hated to leave so soon. He kept Verena’s hand in his as they walked, wanting to keep that connection as long as possible.
“Connor, there’s something else you need to know,” she said, pulling him to a stop. Kilian glanced back, and Connor gestured that he was coming.
“What is it?” Her big blue eyes seemed to swallow his. He expected her to offer reassurance that she’d be all right. Instead she grinned, looking excited.
“Connor, I spoke with Water!”
He blinked. “What?”
“Water! She appeared to me when I activated Kirstin’s Defense.”
That was astonishing. “I thought I was the only one who saw them like people.”
“I know. It was completely unexpected. She’s beautiful. I can sense so much power in her. I only wish we had more time to talk. I sensed she had a lot more to share.”
“Wait, you spoke with her?” He had thought the manifestation of the elements in his mind was a way he’d invented to establish a better relationship with them, but if Verena had also seen Water, what did that mean? Was she really alive as a tangible being? Was that possible?
