“If you say so,” Kaidia acquiesced, taking another look around.
“So, what did you want?” Ash asked, looking to Kaidia expectantly.
“Huh?”
“You were the one who voluntarily slipped into your current state. I assume you wanted to talk with me about something.”
“Oh, right, yes. I was curious why you didn't appear while I was out of it due to the Hell's Bane.”
“Two reasons. This communication with me doesn't allow you to rest and you needed rest more than anything else. Secondly, I didn't want to intrude.”
“Intrude on what?”
“You and Echo-Seras,” Ashlin elaborated, giving a knowing little smile.
“That's another reason why I deliberately sought you out,” Kaidia said in a rare moment uncertainty.
“You want to know if I'm alright with you two being together,” Ashlin predicted.
“Exactly,” Kaidia responded.
“I am alright with it. People have this funny notion that you can only be in love with one person at a time. It is, of course, completely absurd. I realize that just because you have come to have affection for her, does not mean that your affection for me fades. Beyond that, I know that you have physical needs that I simply cannot satisfy in my state of being,” Ash answered in a rather matter of fact tone.
Kaidia let out a sigh of relief. “Wonderful to hear.”
“Indeed. I know it's been bugging you, even if you don't let it show,” Ash said with a reassuring smile.
“Yeah, well, thanks for clearing it up for me.”
“Of course, love. Now, you need to depart from here. You need your rest before tomorrow. Let whatever power it is inside you, finish healing you. This is only delaying the process,” Ashlin said.
“I really don't want to go,” Kaidia said with a sigh.
“Will you ever?” Ash asked.
“No,” Kai stated without hesitation.
“Thought not. I'll be here when you decide to visit again,” Ashlin assured.
Kaidia only nodded, and then leaned in to Ashlin, capturing the other woman's lips in a kiss that lingered for several long moments before she pulled back and grinned.
“Never thought I'd get to do that again.”
Ashlin only chuckled.
* * *
Kaidia woke up, fingers gripping the arms of her chair. A cool, damp breeze blew in the open doorway to her suite's balcony and she could hear the spattering of heavy rain outside. She pushed herself up and walked to the doorway, leaning against the frame. A flash of lightning turned the night into day for a moment, illuminating all that Kai could see. When it all sank back into darkness, it took a moment for her eyes to adjust. Lights dotted the city, peeking out from windows and hanging in lanterns by doorways, their fire protected by coverings. Some of the lights were sorcerous in nature; little spheres of light conjured and placed into glass housings. Mageware shops sold them all the time. If the container that housed them was kept from damage, the lights would last for two or three years before dying.
Kaidia smiled lightly. She remembered her mother making such lights when she was young. Conjuring light was one of the first bits of sorcery that most magic users learned. However, Kai and Nadia had both skipped it and went straight to combative sorcery.
“Nadia... I hope you've awoken,” Kaidia said to herself as she watched the rain fall.
Chapter XVII: The Ancient Outpost
The morning dawned overcast and dense with fog. The obscuring haze paid no heed to the city walls and clouded Silver Lake's streets. Kaidia smiled as she walked toward the city gates; she rather enjoyed days like today. The fact that she had Echo at her side made it better. The arrow wound on her stomach had all but completely healed.
“Why not try to get help from the others?” Echo asked, breaking the quiet of the morning.
“Others?” Kaidia asked in return.
“The armies you gathered together,” Echo clarified.
“Beyond the fact that they've all already sacrificed more than enough, some have already left, and this is something I want to take care of on my own,” Kaidia said, her voice edging into a growl.
“And if you fail?” Echo asked.
“You think I'm going to?” Kai asked, her mouth curved into a half smile.
“No, but there's always a chance. Those twins aren't weaklings,” Echo said.
“If I die in the process of trying, I suppose it's not really my concern anymore, is it?” Kaidia asked, her mouth still holding that charmingly lop-sided smile.
“That's not a good way to look at it,” Echo scolded with a soft growl to her voice.
“Don't worry. I have no plans on dying any time soon, kitten,” Kaidia said, her voice placating.
“Kitten?” Echo asked, ears laying back a little. “You're lucky I like you.”
Kaidia only chuckled. She approached the main gate of the city where several Dragon Guard and several Scorpion mercenaries had already gathered. All of them gave Kaidia nods and a wide berth.
“Rykar is late?” she asked the group.
“Probably still in bed with Sage,” Malcade said from a few paces behind Kai.
The god turned around, an amused smirk on her lips. Several of the Scorpions chuckled. Malcade stopped in front of Kaidia, smiling with genuine warmth.
“Good to see you back on your feet, Kaidia,” he said.
“Good to see you didn't get killed in the battle,” Kai replied.
“Not for lack of effort. I'm not sure how many blades nearly took my head off,” the flame-haired man said.
“Well, there were, what, three hundred thousand soldiers with blades aimed our way?” Kaidia asked, trying to remember the reports she'd read before the battle.
“Around that number, at first. Then your dragon evened the odds,” Mal answered.
“More than evened the odds if you take into account the damage to their morale,” Kaidia said.
“Yeah, that shook them up pretty good,” Malcade agreed with a chuckle.
“Rykar informed me of just how many died,” Kaidia said, abruptly somber.
“There were many. Nearly all of their army, over half of our own,” Malcade replied, his own mood having sobered.
“Well then, let us not allow those sacrifices to be in vain!” Rykar exclaimed, suddenly appearing at Malcade's side. The bigger man jumped in surprise.
“Must you do that?!” he exclaimed. Rykar's grin implied that, yes, he must.
Echo glanced around, looking for Sage.
“Where's your mate?” the kyrian asked, bright blue eyes on Rykar.
“She's working in the forges. Lots of repair work to be done after the battle,” Rykar answered, readjusting the shield strapped to his back.
“I can imagine,” Echo replied.
“Whatever you're imagining... double it,” Rykar said with a chuckle.
Kaidia glanced around. All the men and women gathered, be they Rykar's mercenaries or her own knights, were armed and armored. After considering multiple options the evening before, everyone had come to agree that a head on assault was the best idea and it was obvious that everyone was prepared for just that.
Rykar was in full heavy plate armor. His new shield, scraped and scuffed from the battle days before, was strapped to his back, his sword at his hip, and most importantly... there was a big grin on his face. The man loved a good fight.
Nearly everyone was wearing heavy armor, aside from a handful of archers. Even Echo was wearing something heavier than her usual leather armor; light plate that afforded her extra protection and limited her agility only a little. Thorgrimm, who was talking animatedly to a group of Dragon Guards, was wearing heavy plate armor that seemed like it'd be too heavy for the dwarf, but he seemed to be moving in it just fine. Kaidia took a breath address everyone gathered, but stopped short when she heard an exclamation from behind.
“Hey! Dragon God!”
Kaidia turned, eyebrow quirked at the hail. Jogging towa
rd her was a Sorku elf that she vaguely recognized. It took a moment before recognition dawned on her. Wylkas Brione, commander of the Sorku elite soldiers.
“Commander Brione, how may I help you?” she asked.
“I was more interested in helping you, if you'll have me,” Wylkas said with an easy, lopsided grin. His bow was in hand, the thin blades mounted along the front appearing lackluster in the dull light. His short sword hung on his hip and he wore lightweight leather armor.
“I'd be happy to have you along, but don't you have soldiers to attend?” Kaidia asked.
“My second in command is leading them back home,” Wylkas replied.
“How many did you lose?” Kai questioned.
“Only a few... but I want to make sure their sacrifices weren't for nothing,” the elf returned.
“Welcome aboard, then,” Kaidia said with a nod.
“My thanks, Dragon God,” he said with a nod of his own.
Kaidia thought about mentioning that he didn't have to call her that, but knew that, in the long run, she was going to have to get used to the title, so she just whistled to get everyone's attention. When all eyes were on her, she motioned toward the gate.
“Let's move out!”
* * *
Kaidia, Rykar, Echo, and Wylkas led the band of warriors through the forest as evening fell. The god, the king, the general, and the commander were spread out among the front of the group. Malcade and Thorgrimm brought up the rear. They had foregone horses, or in the case of Kai and Echo, panthers. The trees of the forest were close together and the underbrush was thick. While the panthers could have navigated with only minor trouble, horses wouldn't have made it. Echo and Kai could have rode their mounts anyway, but they would have just left everyone else behind.
Echo and Wylkas had been listening for the sound of a stream, river, or brook as the sun started to set. Both the kyrian and the elf picked up on the strong sound of flowing water before anyone else. They led the way to a large clearing in the forest. The ground was covered in a soft grass, a river ran to one side of it and the moonlight shone down onto the group of warriors through the hole in the forest canopy.
“Someone start a fire,” Rykar ordered.
“Is that safe?” one of the Scorpions, a younger man, asked.
“We're hunting them, they're not looking for us,” Rykar replied.
“Even if they were, we would hear them coming,” Wylkas said, gesturing between himself and Echo.
Several members of both the Dragon Guard and the Scorpion Company ventured back into the forest to find wood for the fire while the remaining members started clearing out a place in the center of the grassy clearing for the fire. Rykar, Kaidia, Echo, Malcade, Thorgrimm, and Wylkas gathered by the river after setting down their packs.
“The river is good. If someone were coming for us, they wouldn't come from there,” Wylkas commented.
“Well, like I said, I don't think we have to worry about it. They're probably still licking their wounds,” Rykar replied.
“How far is the outpost from here?” Kai asked.
“If we leave here at the break of dawn, we should reach it by mid-day,” Malcade answered.
“Do we even know how we're going to get in?” Echo asked.
“Straight through the front fucking door,” Rykar growled.
“Sneaking in won't be an option. They will be on alert. There's no way they're not expecting us if they're still camped in that outpost,” Kaidia supplied.
“I like a good brawl,” Wylkas said with a grin that Rykar immediately decided he liked. He hadn't seen Wylkas fighting outside of Silver Lake simply because there had been so many people. Not to mention the fact that he was busy keeping himself from experiencing the irritating side effects of death, like not breathing.
“Good, you'll have one tomorrow,” Kai replied.
“When we get close, we'll see the lay of the land and plan on the fly. The scouts informed me of what it was like, but being told about it and seeing it in person are two different things,” Rykar said.
“And that's about all we can do for now,” Kai said with a soft sigh.
“So, we should eat,” Malcade suggested with a grin.
“I agree,” Thorgrimm stated, breaking his unusual silence.
* * *
Thorgrimm stood off on his own after the evening meal, away from all the rest who had gathered around the roaring fire to share stories and relax. He had found himself preoccupied since this morning and now stood staring into the woods, seemingly convinced that the dark forest held the answer to sorting out his thoughts.
Everyone had noticed he was quiet. Those that didn't know him didn't give his silence a second thought. Those that did know him wondered what had him so introspective. Kaidia finally let her curiosity get the better of her and she left the fire's side to walk over near the edge of the forest and stand next to the dwarf. After a few moments of silence, she spoke up.
“So, what's got your beard in a twist, old man?” she asked.
“I'm not old!” Thorgrimm snarled.
“You are compared to me,” Kaidia said with a smirk.
“Yes, well, not among my people, you whippersnapper,” Thorgrimm retorted, the hint of a smirk on his lips hidden by his beard, but it reached his eyes.
“Semantics. Now, what's got the loud dwarf so quiet?” Kaidia asked.
“Just a few thoughts that have crept into my mind that are troubling,” Thorgrimm admitted with a shrug of his shoulders, armor clinking softly.
“And those thoughts are?” Kaidia pressed.
“Just that this seems strange,” Thorgrimm said.
“What does?”
“This war, the resurrection of Adathir before that. Why all this disruption after so many centuries of peace?” Thorgrimm asked, more rhetorically than anything else.
“I agree.”
“You do?”
“Yes. Just Adathir could have been nothing. But Adathir and then this right afterward? It's either a very strange coincidence or someone or something is pulling strings and pushing people to act on their impulses. I mean, the last time we had war on gods was the Second Age,” Kai expounded.
“There are some elves that were alive then. Surely some of them have noticed this,” Thorgrimm speculated.
“One would think but I wouldn't know which elves to ask and even if I did, it's not like they'd see me to talk about it,” Kaidia said with a shrug.
“Yes they would. You might be young, but you are a god, regardless of how you feel about it. They will gladly give you an audience,” the dwarf contested.
“Maybe so. I'd still have to find out who to go to. I'm not exactly neck deep in elven affairs. Perhaps I'll ask Xerith,” Kaidia suggested.
“As good a place as any to start. I'd do it as soon as possible too. If we're correct, then this isn't going to be the last of the problems we have to deal with,” Thorgrimm advised.
“I agree, but first things first. We have to go take care of the remains of this army,” Kaidia said.
“Aye. Ought to be fun,” Thorgrimm said, giving a grin.
“I was hoping you'd say that,” Kaidia replied, clapping the dwarf on the shoulder.
The pair walked back toward the roaring bonfire that Rykar had called a “good start” of a campfire.
* * *
The next morning, the group walked on through a forest choked with mist, trees looming out of the fog in front of them, only to disappear again behind them. Kaidia found she enjoyed it. There was something peaceful about the mist hanging in the air, clinging to the trees, dampening her skin and clothes.
The serene walk was not to last. By mid-morning, the morning fog that Kai so adored had been burned away by the sun. The group had gladly taken a shortcut through a massive clearing, tired of walking through the dense undergrowth of the forest. The only decoration in the clearing was an ancient statute depicting some long forgotten god. Kaidia briefly wondered if there would be statues of her lik
e that some day, with people wondering who she had been.
There was little conversation, but what little there was trailed off when everyone felt a faint tremor underfoot. Dragon Guard, Scorpion mercenaries, god, dwarf, king, and military officers alike all stopped and looked around at one another.
“So everyone else felt that too, right?” one of the Scorpions asked.
There was a general murmur of agreement, a few nods. Another tremor, stronger, shook the ground again.
“Whatever that is, it's getting closer,” Echo warned, not that anyone needed to be told.
“There,” Wylkas said, pointing off to the group's collective right side.
Everyone turned their attention to where he was pointing. At first, only Wylkas and Echo could see, but in a few moments, everyone could see trees shaking. One by one, in succession, as if something were striking them one at a time; and each tree that shook was closer than the last. It took only a moment for the threat to reveal itself. A roaring monster burst from the trees. It was huge, looked only vaguely human, and brandished a massive club that was run through with several massive nails. What they were made to hold together was anyone's guess. The creature's facial features were horrifically deformed. It had eyes, a nose, a mouth... but nothing about it could be mistaken for human. Its skin was a mottled black and grey and it stood roughly ten feet tall. It lacked hair of any sort.
The nearest soldiers to it, a male Dragon Guard and female Scorpion mercenary, had drawn their weapons, but looked entirely unprepared to fight such a monster.
“That's a fucking demon!” Wylkas shouted.
“Demon?!” Kaidia demanded.
“I'm old enough to recognize them, though I haven't seen one since the Second Age,” the elven warrior said, gazing upon the large creature with awe. The demon gazed around at the group of warriors, and then focused on the two closest to himself. He started for them, thundering steps carrying him forward. His club swung forward in an underhanded strike. The two soldiers raised their shields to ward off the strike. At the last moment they were both shoved aside by Rykar, who had his own shield raised. The spiked club smashed against his shield and an electric shock crackled through the air. Rykar was lifted from his feet and sent through the air by the force of the blow. He crashed down with a grunt and the metallic crash of armor.
Realms of Valen - Blasphemous Crusade (War of the Gods Book 2) Page 20
