“Ben,” began Tomas, completely ignoring Tiber. “I can see Nefas. We’re close.”
Tiber Allahnder stood up from the small table where he and Ben Floyd had been playing cards, with a look of confusion.
“How is this possible? My men have said nothing to me.”
“Tomas has a gift, Tiber. He would see land far before any of your men could.”
“If I’d have known, I’d have had you in the crow’s nest,” said Tiber, smiling and patting Tomas’ shoulder. Tomas pulled away from Tiber’s gesture, and the smile left the dark-haired man’s face. “I’m sorry,” said Tiber, bringing his hand back to his body.
Tiber had uttered those words quite frequently in Tomas’ presence, and as he always did, Tomas ignored them as if they had not been said at all. Tiber understood the reason, though each time his peace offering was rebuffed, it hurt him more and more. He did what he could to act as if it meant nothing.
“I’ll have my men raise the peace flags,” said Tiber. “Please, excuse me.”
Tiber Allahnder exited the room, leaving Ben and Tomas alone, and Ben chided his brother.
“I’ve told you, Tomas. Tiber is no longer our enemy. You shouldn’t treat him so coolly.”
“He’s fortunate I’m being as cordial as I am, Ben. You may have forgiven him, but it wasn’t you that had to have your legs healed by magic just so you could walk again. I can’t just forget what happened.”
“I’m not asking you to forget, Tomas, merely to forgive, and not without reason. Tiber is an ally now. He’s proving his regret and his commitment to our cause.”
“We’ll see,” said Tomas.
Silence found its way between the brothers as the big boat rocked upon the ocean waves. Each creak of the wooden hull spoke a volume of negative feelings that had risen inside Tomas. He was fooling himself if he thought his brother was the only one who noticed. I shouldn’t have to get along with him, thought the younger Floyd. I shouldn’t have to be stuck upon his stupid boat.
Shouts came from above deck and then, faster than it seemed possible, Annie burst through the cabin door.
“Quick, both of you, above deck. Something’s wrong.”
The three travelers rushed up the stairs that led out into the open air and as soon as Tomas’ eyes could see the horizon, he knew they were in for great trouble. Anyone’s eyes could now see the Royal Palace of Nefas, but it was Tomas’ gaze only that could tell the crews what black danger came flying across the waters toward the fleet.
“Farsiders?! What are Farsiders doing here?” he wondered aloud.
“The flying demons my father spoke of,” answered Tiber. “The ones we mistakenly thought were alike to Riverpaw. I’ll call to my crews. We’ll be ready for battle.”
“No, you don’t understand, Tiber,” said Ben. “These are evil creatures, terrible things, and they can’t be killed. There’s only one person I know who can kill them.”
“Evercloud,” guessed Tiber from all the stories Ben had told him.
“What about the spirits?” asked Annie.
Tomas rushed over to where Dendrata stood.
“Can you stop them? Can you and your sisters stop them?”
“I-I don’t know,” said Dendrata, uncomfortable with her own uncertainty. “We will try.”
“What can we do if we cannot kill these creatures?” asked Tiber.
“We don’t know what the spirits can do yet and we don’t know how many Farsiders there will be,” said Ben. “For now, command your men to get below deck and stay quiet.”
“Fifty battle ships, the pride of Felaqua, you want me to have them hide like cowards?”
“This isn’t an enemy they can fight,” argued Ben. “This is worse than the White Titan, Tiber. Those Farsiders will tear apart anything in their path. They will kill all of us and we won’t even be able to harm them. Our only hope is the spirits. If they can’t stop the Farsiders… we’re all doomed.”
Tiber just stared at Ben, wide-eyed and unbelieving. But after a moment, he came back to reality and gave the command to all his ships. Men began the descent into the belly of their ships, all but one on each boat, who would bravely wait for further commands.
“We must all go below deck,” argued Annie.
“No,” said Tiber. “If this is to be my end, so be it. I will not be remembered as a coward who left his men without their leader.
“Then we’ll stay with you,” said Tomas.
Tiber Allahnder was shocked, but kept his jaw tight and nodded resolutely.
“Yes, we will,” agreed Ben, clasping his hand on his brother’s shoulder with pride.
“ANDOR!” cried Annie, and in no time the eagle had landed on deck. “Can you fly faster than those creatures out over the water?”
“Yes,” said the eagle decisively.
“Good.” Annie turned to the others. “Andor and I will create a diversion while the daughters figure out a plan.” The young woman climbed atop Andor and before anyone could dissuade her, Andor had taken off into the sky.
Dendrata returned to Tomas as they watched Annie leave.
“We do not know if we can kill these creatures, but we will try,” she said. “If we fail, we believe we can at least create a barrier to keep them away, but we don’t know how large we can make it.”
“The ships need to be closer together,” Tiber guessed.
“As close as they can be,” Dendrata urged.
Tiber ran to the side of The Breaker’s Crest and began shouting commands. There were fifty boats and there was no way Tiber’s voice could reach them all, but as the closest ships received his commands, they would then convey his words to their crews and then to the boats within their reach. The process was slow, but eventually all the fleet would know what they needed to do. Tiber only hoped that they would have enough time. The boats had travelled to Ephanlarea in the traditional “V” formation. Never in a million years did Tiber think his ships would benefit from being as close to each other as possible. He wondered how tightly fifty ships could assemble and he hoped that it would be tight enough.
The commands began to make their way to the other ships in the fleet and Tiber rejoined Ben and Tomas as they watched Annie, Andor and the daughters of the Earth and Sun attempt to defeat and delay the Farsiders. To the immediate dismay of the men, it seemed as though Andor was not distracting the creatures at all. Andor was much faster than any one of the beasts, but many of them were far larger than him, and he didn’t dare get close enough to impede their progress. Furthermore, it seemed as though the Farsiders were ignoring he and Annie altogether.
“That’s odd behavior for Farsiders,” said Ben. “They are deadly, but not very intelligent. It’s not like them at all to be ignoring a target. They seem focused on reaching the ships.” Ben looked at Tomas and his face betrayed the same doubt.
The men knew it was unlikely that Annie and Andor would have much of an effect, but to see them rendered utterly useless was disconcerting. It was now the spirits’ turn to attack the Farsiders, and the men watched eagerly.
Just as they had begun to create the road to Ephanlarea, Tallulah lifted a great sheet of water in front of the Farsiders and Nivalia followed right behind, chilling the water and creating a wall of ice. Alas, it never stopped the Farsiders progress and the monstrosities crashed through the wall as if it were made of paper. Tomas could now see the large group, enough to get a count of the flying demons.
“There has to be fifty of them,” Tomas gasped, his throat dry with fear.
Tiber turned to the ships and saw that every one of them had begun to navigate as close as they could to The Breaker’s Crest. The ships that had been just to the left and right were now butting up against the Crest and using ropes to pull as close as possible.
“If they can’t stop them, there will never be enough time,” worried Tiber.
“It’ll work,” said Ben, trying to stay positive. “It has to.”
Next, Dendrata and Selva flew at the Far
siders, casting nets of vine and moss at the creatures. The women danced above and below like dragonflies. Vines wrapped around the wings of one monster, impeding its ability to fly. Like a cannonball, the creature fell to the sea. The men shouted their cheers. Dendrata and Selva continued their assault and another beast fell to the sea, and then another. The men’s eyes grew wide with the excitement of a possible victory, but their celebration was short lived. Suddenly, the Farsiders began to send jets of flame into the air all around them. Dendrata and Selva had to keep their distance, and every vine they shot forward was incinerated by the blasts of fire. Even the creatures that had fallen into the water had now freed themselves and were rising from the ocean to regain their pursuit.
Tiber again looked at the boats around them and shouted, “faster!! Faster!!”
Ben and Tomas watched on with bated breath as Aella and Harena came from behind the black fiends with a storm of wind and sand. The storm engulfed the Farsiders and they shrieked with displeasure. They batted their wings and twisted their necks, trying to get away from the wind and sand, and then the sisters revealed their final attack. Nivalia sent flurries of snow and ice into the fray, Tallulah sent waves crashing over and over, Dendrata and Selva sent their nets of vines and moss and then Amber brought down the very clouds in the sky to envelope the beasts in their turmoil.
Tiber, Ben and Tomas cheered and jumped upon the deck of The Breaker’s Crest. Whoops of celebration came from the other ships as well. Men began to come back out upon the decks and the news of victory spread quickly.
“Wait, what are they doing?” cried Tiber. “No!” he called to the other ships. “Continue to follow your commands!”
But it was all for naught. Ten ships had strung themselves right up to the Crest, but now the others were stopping and celebrating a premature victory. The crews of every ship were now on deck, with all of the soldiers, hooting and hollering, cheering the defeat of the Farsiders.
“Follow your commands!!” called Tiber, though his voice began to break and grow hoarse. “Follow your commands!!”
But Tiber could not stop what was about to happen, no more than someone who bellows silent screams into their dreams, trying to stave off the nightmares. Shrieks and jets of flame erupted from the clouds and the thrum of giant wings pounded against the spirit storm. The creatures emerged from the gale and were now almost upon the ships. The storm had slowed them, but ultimately failed.
“Fall back!” called Selva. “Create the barrier!”
The seven sisters landed with haste upon the deck of The Breaker’s Crest, joined hands and closed their eyes. Tiber, Ben and Tomas watched in amazement and terror as a translucent orb of energy grew in between the spirit women and then expanded around their bodies, moving past the boundaries of the ship. The barrier looked like a bubble floating above a washbasin, but it grew and grew, becoming large enough to envelope five ships and then ten.
“It needs to be larger,” cried Tiber. “Larger, please!!”
But it was no use. Tallulah opened her eyes and then Harena, and then the others, one by one. The barrier was as large as they could make it. Andor and Annie came screaming forward, just ahead of the mass of Farsiders. As they approached the barrier, Amber opened a window just large enough to let them through, and then sealed it tightly behind them. Farsiders collided with the barrier as if they had collided with the side of a mountain. The beasts fell to the sea, the barrier had worked, but it was not enough to destroy the Farsiders and they soon regained their strength.
“What about the other ships?” asked Tomas, afraid to hear the answer. Even as he asked, he could see how very tired and weak each one of the spirit sisters looked.
“I’m sorry, Tomas,” said Dendrata with a weary voice. “We need our remaining energy to keep the barrier up as long as possible. I’m sorry.”
Tomas turned from Dendrata like a man who had been sucked hollow, and gazed onward with tears in his eyes. The Farsiders were ravaging the ships that had not made it under the protection of the barrier. Men were screaming and dying all around them. The evil beasts bathed each ship in fire and tore the limbs of men from their bodies like predators playing with dinner. Tiber turned from the massacre and withered upon the deck of his vessel, his body racked with sobs of pain, regret, and hopelessness. Annie, Tomas, Andor and Ben watched on, unable to move, as the world became a moving picture of death, fire and hell.
Chapter 28: Into the Fray
Wake up, Evercloud. WAKE UP!
Evercloud shot awake as the tide pushed foam and water to the very tips of his toes. He and Riverpaw had returned to the beach where they had last left Densa, in hopes of finding him still there. Alas, he had left. Still exhausted from their encounter with the Great Tyrant, they let their bodies find sleep upon the sandy beach. It wasn’t until the rays of the sun tried to force their way into Evercloud’s eyes that he stirred. Evercloud got to his feet and found Riverpaw just behind him, rising as well. Evercloud joked at the situation.
“I usually have to punch your side until you wake up.”
“Screaming at the top of your lungs did just fine,” grumbled Riverpaw.
“What are you talking about? I wasn’t screaming. I’ve just only woken up myself.”
“Well, you were yelling in your dreams then,” said Riverpaw, shaking the sleep off. “Wake up, you kept yelling. Wake up, Evercloud. I thought I was losing my mind for a moment.”
“Why would I be yelling at myself to wake up?”
“I don’t know. What were you dreaming about?”
“I don’t think I was dreaming, at least, I don’t remember.”
Evercloud brushed the sand off of his pants and as he did, a strange voice chided him.
It’s about time you got up. You’re needed in Nefas.
“Did you hear that?” asked Evercloud. “Is that Densa?”
“Hear what?” responded the bear. “Is what Densa? I think a crab might have climbed into your ear while you were sleeping.”
Then all at once, the voice returned, Evercloud remembered, and his heart grew with happiness.
Mountains fall, time passes, but I’m still here, Evercloud. This time, I freed myself.
“Tenturo? Is that you?”
I knew you’d get it, came Tenturo’s voice followed by resounding laughter. I’ve returned. I’m in Elderton Forest.
Evercloud grabbed his cousin’s arm and shook him.
“Riverpaw, it’s Tenturo. He’s back. He’s speaking to me.”
The bear’s eyes grew wide and a smile parted his lips. “Where is he?”
“He’s in Elderton Forest,” replied Evercloud. “We should go to him.”
No, Evercloud. No. Do not come to Elderton. It is imperative that you go to Nefas.
“Wait,” said the man. “He says we should go to Nefas.”
The Tyrant’s plan is taking form there. There is war and suffering. You must go. We will be there shortly.
“We?” asked Evercloud.
Yes, said Tenturo. Your parents are with me, Evercloud. Now go. We will meet you there.
Evercloud gasped with joy and tears welled in his eyes.
“What is it?” pried Riverpaw. “What did he say?”
“We have to go to Nefas, Riverpaw. We have to go now. And he said… our parents are with him. They survived!”
“Let’s go!!” roared the bear.
“But… Densa…” remembered Evercloud.
“He’s obviously left the earth as he was told to. We can’t go chasing him down if we’re needed in Nefas. I’m sure Tenturo can contact him.”
“You’re right,” smiled Evercloud and he and his cousin shot into the sky.
They soared east, toward the Kingdom of Nefas, and toward a reunion they never thought would be possible. The horizon was blue and bright and the man from Gray Mountain felt invincible. With Tenturo back, he knew their odds of victory had increased, and with his parents back, he felt the world was right again. The Tyrant could destroy,
but he couldn’t erase everything. There would always be those who remained to oppose him. He looked at his golden claw, as it glinted in the sun.
Bring the mountain crumbling down, he thought. The Everflame still burns bright.
• • •
What remained of the ships outside of the spirit’s barrier was nothing more than charred wood, floating upon the sea. Forty of Felaqua’s finest ships and thousands of its finest men had been reduced to nothing in what seemed like mere minutes. Now, those who had survived, those inside the barrier created by the spirit women, prayed to whatever power they kept dear, and watched as the evil Farsiders tested the strength of the barrier, over and over again.
The brothers Floyd watched helplessly, knowing that at some point the strength of the seven daughters would fail, and they would all face the fate so many men had already been tortured by. They would lose their lives amid fire and blood, if something did not save them, if some unforeseen stroke of fortune did not grant them salvation. Everyone aboard the ten remaining Felaquan vessels watched the daughters of the Earth and Sun and hoped that their strength would hold on and hoped that the insatiable Farsiders would leave.
The Farsiders were relentless as they bathed the translucent barrier with flame. Some of them threw themselves against it repeatedly, falling to the briny sea with each attempt, yet never relenting. They attempted to land on the barrier and use their teeth to tear it, their claws to slash it, their legs to crush it. All to no avail, yet they never stopped trying.
At one point, Nivalia turned to Tiber Allahnder with a question.
“There will be a time when we can no longer hold the barrier,” she said in a tired voice. “Do you wish for us to shrink it slowly, or hold it at this size for as long as possible?”
Annie’s jaw dropped, shocked by the horror of such a question, but Tiber answered as a true leader.
“No. I will not sell off the lives of these men, one by one, just to save my own skin for a bit longer. If the barrier comes down, it comes down for all of us.”
Everflame: The Complete Series Page 93
