‘I am going to fly in sideways so that you can have a clear shot,’ shouted Olexion.
They floated high, the heat from below creating such strong convection that the Volje struggled to close in.
‘Hold on!’ cried Olexion, using his magic to drive through the steam and the convection. Olexion suddenly banked and Vanapha saw her shot. She released again, the arrow diving like a bird and struck Lidayel in the hip. The Summoner cringed, but kept to his feet, taking the pain, his magic raging once more. Reactively Lidayel called upon his halo of fire and it breathed great lengths of flame into the sky at the Rangers.
Olexion instinctually braced and created a barrier around him and Vanapha, the flames folding fearsomely around the sphere of Calophrites before relenting.
They were unscathed, for now. Olexion knew though Lidayel's power would soon become overwhelming.
Down below Cid tampered with his spear. Alex had run furiously to return within minutes with his weapon.
‘You still have the wings?’ asked Cid urgently.
Without answer Alex took them from his holster on his back and handed them to Cid. Alex looked grave. They had real trouble.
Looking up, Cid saw Vanapha’s arrow hit Lidayel, and in reaction a shockwave so great hit the canyon that Cid lost his footing momentarily. Alex helped up the weak-legged Colonel.
Cursing, Cid set to work on Mindevhier, adding the ornamental wings, a thing he thought he would never do. Right now however he knew that no weapon other than Mindevhier would work. He proceeded into the waters again. Vanapha’s attack might have angered Lidayel, but with his focus broken the wall of steam that had masked him was dissipating. The tremors in the meanwhile were getting worse.
Enraged Lidayel held fast his magic, the Basin an absurd display of the elements. Cid was able to approach, the spear held in his hands. Ideally Mindevhier was never crafted to be a throwing weapon, but Cid knew his skill with javelins would not fail him. On the other hand, he would have one go at it.
The Rangers continually tried to get closer, eager to have one of their numbers strike unharnessed. Yet Lidayel attacked without relent, throwing streaks of fire into the sky, mercilessly trying to incinerate them, the barriers just holding and ultimately pushing the Rangers away again. That last blast, almost knocked Olexion and Vanapha out of the sky.
It was then that Cid knew there was no other choice; he could no longer prioritize Lidayel. The water deepened and he kept speed by lifting his knees high. Even with the spear in his hands the wind was pressing, whipping the surface of the water into his face. It grew harder until he realized he had to act before he was overwhelmed, or before Lidayel could grew wary of the Rangers’ distraction.
With his heart in his throat, Cid made his run up and flung Mindevhier with all his strength, the spear sailing mystically through the fading sphere of steam, shearing a path, the Hethellean blade effortlessly piercing the halo of fire, and struck Lidayel right in his chest.
He went down dramatically, hitting the water as his concentric patterns of magic crashed and faded in chaos. A moment later Lidayel became the epicentre of a great wave of water, surging upright and branching out as a complete circle. Cid could do nothing but brace as the wave toppled him from his feet.
Spluttering he came up, determined still to get to Lidayel. He splashed forward, the absurdness of the situation and what he had just done eating away at him. He became bone tired again, but pressed through to the spot where his spear struck out of the water, marked by a blotch of blood.
His hands grabbed into the water and he lifted Lidayel’s head and shoulders from under the surface, resting the Summoner’s back on his knee. Lidayel coughed, pinkish water spewing from his mouth.
There wasn’t much they could do for him now.
‘Why Lidayel?’ asked Cid, disturbed by what he was seeing.
‘Why did you do it!?’ repeated Cid.
Lidayel’s lolling eyes tried to focus, already glazed over in reality, yet he managed a struggling utterance.
‘Yarea… Yarea… I remembered,’ said Lidayel.
‘Yes, what of her?’ whispered Cid.
‘She was never… my wife, Cid… married to my brother… my memories… so broken… that I… so in love… that I was fooled by my own… I am sorry…’ Lidayel’s face showed defeat and sorrow.
‘It’s okay, I understand,’ said Cid softly.
‘I failed Cid… hatred did not break you… but I… never let hatred get to you Cid… don’t fail anyone in spite of bitterness… you were stronger than me… you are stronger…’
From above the Rangers watched apprehensively as Brunick and Alex stayed at the edge of the Basin, muscles tensed in preparation to charge in and help Cid should the need arise.
Everything became quiet again as the winds disappeared and the deep tremors of the earth came to nothing, as though they all were hushed to listen as the water wallowed and weaved, splashing faintly against the rock faces.
Cid stayed hunched on the balls of his feet, content to strain his muscles in order to keep Lidayel comfortable. As Lidayel’s’ face grew tired so did Cid’s sorrow grow. He now saw into a man who had been dealt a terrible ordeal, a man’s whose mind was as wounded as his body.
It was hypnotic, waiting for a passing, waiting for death, listening to nothing but the flapping wings of Volje above and sloshing water that would not come to a rest.
Cid saw Lidayel’s eyes go halfway closed and felt the man’s body go limp.
Lidayel’s last sight was the spread wings of a black Volj overhead against the backdrop of the sun.
He died.
For moments more Cid cradled the man’s body, suddenly struck by a great regret for Lidayel. It was then that he saw the fate of a Summoner, even a noble one, cursed by power and notoriety. Here he held a man he owed so much, yet was forced to kill him.
Then came the magic, Lidayel’s last act of power.
Cid’s eyes grew wide as the body began to glow, the blood on his face and arms peeling away like morning dew surrendering to sunrise. Lidayel’s skin became golden, a soft pulse of light emanating all around. Cid did not wish to panic, to toss the man’s body back into the water and run. Rather he steeled himself to be calm and to hold the man respectably as the light grew more intense.
‘Cid, get away from there!’ he heard Brunick bellow from behind.
Cid could not, the light was gentle and glorious, inviting, bathing Lidayel in a golden glow. His face became peaceful, the lines and depressions fading and his once greying hair becoming strands of fire. Somehow the magic was not lost on Cid; he could feel it soothing his muscles and giving renewed strength to his limbs.
Then, as though Lidayel’s body could no longer contain the light, his frame swelled and disintegrated, Cid’s hands peeling through nothingness as flesh and fabric turned into a dust, bright and golden, scattering like fireflies.
Adalophrites...
They flew in a regal revolution all around Cid, and then came to a slow, solemn rest onto the waters like yellow petals, drifting. The light faded with time, leaving no remains of the Summoner.
Cid stood up, surprised to find his eyes teary. Gravely he reached for Mindevhier beneath the waters. There was no trace of Lidayel’s blood left on the blade and a strange strength ran along the shaft and into Cid’s arms, tingling his innards.
Cid turned, walking slowly back to the edge, the Rangers overhead turning back and disappearing beyond sight to land at Oldeloft. It was a lonesome walk back and Cid felt an unfound gratitude at the fact that he had Alex and Brunick waiting for him like glum statues. On their way up Cid could not help but tell Brunick and Alex of Lidayel’s plight, how his life had caught up with him and why he gave in to rage.
‘So all this time, he thought Yarea was his…?’ said Alex, voice trailing.
‘What happened to his body though, did it disappear?’ asked Brunick.
Cid nodded. ‘I guess that is how they die. They aren’t human,
remember? Maybe he has returned from where he came.’
‘I never thought he was that powerful though,’ said Brunick.
‘It’s like he said, magic comes down to emotions and what he felt must’ve given him enormous strength,’ said Cid.
‘Poor guy, he was so helpful. Wish we could have saved him,’ said Alex.
‘Yeah, yet with or without Lidayel we still have the responsibility of saving Lanston, otherwise this Basin is going to become a grave to many more, and their bodies won’t disappear so readily,’ said Cid.
Chapter 47
Ruin
As night approached they made a small fire just outside Oldeloft. Mourning Lidayel, they did not talk much. The Summoner had left a painful hole in their ranks, regardless of how briefly they had known him.
Brunick was poking unnecessarily at the fire and not far off Cid was trying to occupy himself as Elmira introduced him to the tied-down Volje. It turned out to be quite soothing stroking and touching the obscenely large creatures, and even more so with Elmira by his side.
‘Damn it Elmira, here I was imagining you at home,’ said Cid, chastising her without much conviction.
‘I wasn’t going to leave everything up to you,’ said Elmira slyly.
Cid laughed, running his hand behind the beast's ears.
‘Volje! You rode on one! Haha, I can’t turn my back for a second without missing something.’
‘You’re the one who told me to do whatever it takes to escape Fredrere,’ said Elmira.
Cid looked fondly at her, ‘and you did, you did it. When this is over we’ll go to the country, to Pathra. We’ll go live with Brunick and his brethren for a while. I’ve already discussed it with him. It won’t be a lavish wedding, but it’ll be among the Masons’ memorials and in a chapel. Brunick has even agreed to marry us himself.’
‘I would love that,’ said Elmira, smiling, ‘but what of Fredrere?’
Cid looked hopefully over to the fire where Brunick and Olexion were now talking.
‘Give it time, the right people are now involved. I won’t give up on you Elmira, we will have our life together.’
She hugged him tightly.
As though Olexion knew that Cid had been looking at him, he turned and marched toward the couple. Elmira broke away.
‘Colonel Cid, I do not wish to spoil the evening, but it is imperative that we speak at length on our state of affairs and how they became so… converging,’ said Olexion.
Cid nodded. ‘I am sincerely sorry our first meeting had to be at sword point. Your presence and that of your men is truly a boon, and I am personally grateful for bringing my Elmira along, it means much more than you can know,’ said Cid.
Olexion gave a rare chuckle. ‘She did not give us much of a choice.’
Cid smiled, imagining how Elmira’s obstinacy put a rare-felt discomfort on the Rangers
‘Right then, how much do you know?’ asked Cid
‘Not enough I’m afraid. I assume Elmira has told you about our investigation?’
‘Yes, she did,’ said Cid.
‘Brunick and myself talked at length as well. Stelinger seems like a traitor no doubt, but I struggle to piece his motives. Do you have an inkling on what he’s trying to accomplish?’ asked Olexion
‘This,’ said Cid, holding out Mindevhier’s spearhead.
Olexion looked on the weapon with confusion.
Cid explained. ‘The blade is crafted from Hethellean. A unique-’
‘I know what Hethellean is Colonel. What has this got to do with Stelinger?’
‘I received a redirected letter while at Taverka, explaining a successful bonding process done by the Destinian Blacksmithies in Morshiph. It was enough for me to lead us to investigate the mines in area, which have also been recently excavated for Hethellean. We also know that Stelinger was well familiar with the Alparack area even before the operation and so we suspected that by his instruction the weapons Lanston were outfitted with contain Hethellean, if only in part.’
‘If Stelinger stands in league with the Fallen why would he arm Lanston with specialized weapons?’ asked Olexion.
‘The weapons were never made to benefit Lanston, rather using his power as Commander, Stelinger shaped his plan so that he could march Lanston right into a fight of insurmountable odds. He has been controlling the military intelligence even before Bennam stepped down, mitigating the reports on the size of the Fallen assembly.’
‘And when they’ve killed off every last soldier the Fallen claim the weapons for themselves,’ finished Olexion in understanding.
‘It’s brilliant I’d admit, if successful they’ll have bypassed years of unsuccessful smuggling by using the army as one massive escort of weapons,’ said Cid.
‘What they hope to gain with the weapons is another question raised though. A few Hethellean weapons aren’t going to do them any good against the Kingdom,’ said Olexion.
Cid nodded. ‘We have discussed the issue as well, but to no avail. My chief suspicion is knowing that Stelinger is carrying a weapon of Ruin, and he might be the first of many to be corrupted in this way should the Fallen craft more of its kind.’
‘Champions of the Fallen, eh? It is a dark prospect. I would think there is more to it though, for men like Stelinger are much too dangerous to enlist without merit. I'll have to assume we’ll only discover their true intentions in the future,’ said Olexion.
‘Above all else I just wish I knew what Bennam was thinking, knew what he knew,’ said Cid.
‘What we’ve seen leads me to believe that Bennam started the operation and made Stelinger Commander knowingly, a ploy no doubt of his own.’
‘And now the entire Lanston army might pay the price for his risk taking. Why would he have allowed us to continue this operation, knowing it would amass to nothing?’ asked Cid bitterly.
‘I’ve wondered on the matter myself. My conclusions are vague but I think that I can explain some of it: you might or might not know this, but Bennam was well informed on the Kingdom’s most guarded secrets, a right he earned as the Commander of Lanston and the bane of the Fallen.’
‘It is unsurprising, yet I never thought of him that way,’ said Cid.
‘That he knew something within the Kingdom was terribly wrong is undisputable, and the fact that he did not surface with the information means that his secrecy would serve the Sovereignty at the end of it. I can only surmise that his knowledge of the implications of this Hethellean gambit far outweighs our own. My view on this is that he used all his influence without rousing suspicion, piecing together a counter measure; bringing me here, assigning the Summoners and calling upon the Valkyrie, everything to push us to this point and maybe even see us victorious.’
‘If you are right I shudder to think what lies ahead of us after this,’ said Cid, looking to the north, ‘it is likely that the Fallen host will attack Lanston by tomorrow and there won’t be any chance for the army to escape. It’s fight or die now.’
Olexion grunted, ‘we haven’t lost yet. The reports that I’ve read suggests that you are something of a tide-turner, and right now I’m rather sure Bennam was counting on your talents.’
‘For me to have any effect on the battle I’ll need to have direct command of Lanston. Right now I can’t even get to close to the soldiers without being arrowed down as a traitor,’ said Cid.
‘We will help with that,’ said Olexion.
‘How?’
‘Stelinger will inevitably have to abandon the Lanston army at some time before he gets caught up in the fight himself. We will watch from here and keep an eye on the Basin. The moment he detaches himself from the army we can fly you right into the Lanston camp itself. Without definite authority the soldiers wouldn’t dare attack the Rangers. Then you can explain yourself and garner the approval of the other Colonels.’
‘And I am then to take charge?’ asked Cid.
‘You must. Men trust you Cid. I predict that they will follow you readily when they realize
what they are facing and that they are altogether betrayed,’ said Olexion.
‘I guess it’s the only play we have,’ said Cid ‘we will, without a doubt, need you and your men in the sky. It will be crucial to cut down the catapults and Priests.’
‘It is what I had in mind as well,’ said Olexion.
‘One more thing,’ said Cid, looking at Elmira, who handed him the Alder stone.
‘Ah, yes. It was intended to revive a Summoner’s memories, a clue left by Bennam to help us out. I’m afraid even if Lidayel had not died his mind was too fragile to be restored to its former self.’
‘He has a wife you know… or at least that’s what he thought… it’s complicated,’ said Cid.
‘Yes, Yarea. She is married to Lidayel’s brother, Luthren.’
‘Luthren? You know about all this? Where is he then?’ asked Cid.
‘The Rangers work closely with the conclave of Summoners. As far as I know Luthren is still in suspension in the conclave of Asheva, strangely he remained unassigned through all of this. What of Yarea, what happened to her?’ asked Olexion.
‘We concluded that she was kidnapped by a group of bandits from Durandal, there was no chance for us to catch up before they reached the Drimdyar pass, she is likely to be sold into slavery there,’ said Cid.
Olexion shook his head in disgust; the idea of losing two Summoners was a loss felt both personally and professionally by the Ranger.
‘We might, when this is over, send a detachment to Durandal to see if we cannot extricate Yarea. I am not hopeful though, even the Rangers’ influence is meagre within that city-state of thugs and mercenaries,’ said Olexion.
‘If you decide so, speak with Vanapha on taking her along, she also wishes to go to Durandal and she is worth ten good men,’ said Cid.
‘I’ll suggest it to her then if it comes to it,’ said Olexion, and feeling nothing was left to be said bade them a good night. ‘I’ll give you your privacy back then.’
Remnant Pages Spearhead Page 36
