“How do I know it’s really you?”
“Because if you don’t stand the fuck down in the next three seconds, I’m going to kick your ass myself!” For some reason, the harsh words seemed to reassure Dion. Stepping back away from the Minotaurs warily he made a path for them to Megan.
“My apology Lar. My people didn’t understand what was happening.”
Striding up next to her, Lar quickly scooped the priestess up into his thick muscular arms. For a long moment, Lar said nothing wrapping the snake coils around his broad shoulders and waist as his big eyes studied her intently. Holding a hand up to his breastplate with his fore, pinky, and thumb fingers extended, Lar reverently dipped his head.
“Although the mens-miscere is a blessing from Akras, it is not for the faint of heart, even for those who are privileged to witness the ceremony.”
Megan’s mouth fell open at the Minotaur’s words. Images of the horned god Akras suddenly filling her mind as if she’d seen the statues in real life. Pressing her palm to forehead, Megan’s panicked eyes focused on Lar’s face.
“What the hell is wrong with me?”
“Nothing, it is all a part of the ceremony.”
“Ceremony …?” Megan’s thoughts were a jumbled mess. “The mens-miscere is-,“ Megan’s voice dragged the “is” out as the Minotaur finished the sentence for her.
“A sharing of the mind used to help two peoples in gaining understand of one another.” Leaning forward, Lar urgently gripped her shoulder with an armored gauntlet. “You must tell me. Did the High Priestess say anything when she first awoke?”
“Um …,“ the sound dragged out as Megan tried to remember when her eyes locked onto the Minotaur’s strong face. “She said something about leaving this place before the demons come.” The sudden look of dread on what she’d come to think of as the Minotaur’s normally stoic face made Megan instantly alert. “What?”
“I fear it is already too late, but …” Standing to his full height with the priestess gathered in his arms the Minotaur eyes searched the darkness speaking grimly. “If we are going to have any chance of survival, we must leave this place now.”
Standing up hurriedly, Megan grabbed Lar’s arm pointing towards the boiling mass of nightmarish creatures between them and the exit. “How? That hole is the only way out.”
Pressing his lips together the Minotaur’s brown eyes swept over the enemy thoughtfully. “Prepare your people and have them stay close to my squad, Decanus Driscoll.”
Megan’s black gloved hand stopped him as he began to turn away. “Wait, what are these demons?”
“Decanus, you would already know the answer to that question if you’d only use the gift that was given to you.”
“I don’t understand-“
Clank … clank … clank … The sounds of metal plates sliding into place cut Megan off in midsentence as the Minotaur’s gauntleted fist holding the priestess to his chest began expanding. Within seconds, a metal shield almost the size of the Minotaur’s body had completely formed as his free hand brought a curved bone horn to his lips.
The echoing blast of the war-horn momentarily drowned out the sounds of battle as Centurion Quintillius’ horned head rose above the legionnaires fighting around him that were striving to hold the line. Seeing the priestess in Lar’s arms Quintillius’ voice bellowed thunderously.
“Centuria, reform on Decanus Sestius Natalinus! Wedge formation!”
The sound was deafening in the enclosed space as more and more war horns took up the call as the legion’s formation shifted around them. With a combination of silent tactical hand signals and brute force, Megan managed to get her people into position behind Lar’s squad as the Minotaurs began striding towards the exit at the far end of the chamber. As the lead ranks formed into a tight wedge, Lar called out to the Minotaurs around him lifting his blue-glowing blade over his head.
“Legionnaires advance for Akras!” Immediately the Minotaurs bellowed back as one. “For Akras!”
Megan felt the impact through the soles of her combat boots as the wedge drove into the enemy’s formation like a wrecking ball. The brutal up-and-close combat was like nothing she’d ever witnessed before. The screeching animalistic howls, the bellowing cries of the bulls, the clash of shields and blades against claws as the Minotaurs drove a hole into the enemy’s writhing mass was beyond belief.
Slipping and sliding in the blood and guts raining around them like a spraying fountain of death, it took everything Megan had not to puke out her guts as they blindly followed behind the towering Minotaurs. Even though the legionnaires were slaughtering the enemy in droves, they were dying too. Calling out orders Megan did her best to have her people check the fallen for signs of life, but between the darkness, pools of blood and carpet of body parts covering the slippery ground, it was difficult to distinguish the living from the dead. Most of the fallen were butchered beyond recognition from the jagged claws of the enemy. Still they managed to save some, dragging the wounded legionnaires along with them as they made their way towards the exit.
Reaching the stairwell, Megan threw her back against the metal railing as the Minotaur formation flowed around the base into a defensive circle. Automatically checking the clip of her M4 Megan began shouting out orders.
“Porter, have your squad get those civilians out of here on the double! Jordon, I want those wounded up top now.” Seeing Dion’s incredulous face as he looked back at the injured Minotaurs, Megan snapped angrily. “Yes Lance Corporal, that means all of the wounded. Now move out!”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Location Irlendria / Nessa Manitou:
Focusing on her footing Nessa slid down the slope of the mountain hugging the two girls tight to her chest with one arm as she braced herself against her staff with the other. Leaning back on her haunches, she used the brace to steer her decent into the valley below. Rocks and dirt sprayed into the air around them as her hooves dug deep troths into the soft earth.
The undergrowth was surprisingly light, except near the bottom where a thick bramble of dark berries grew. Timing her jump Nessa gracefully vaulted over the obstruction landing lightly on the mossy floor of the valley. Without slowing down, she moved out at a quick trot as she eyed the steep trail back up the mountain. With a heavy sigh, she came to a decision. Now was as good of a time as any.
Twisting around abruptly, Nessa set her struggling charges on her broad back eying them severely. “If you give me your word that you will not run away again, I won’t strap you down like a fresh kill.” Meeting her gaze sullenly Starfire’s brusque words echoed in Nessa’s head.
Slowing to a stop, Nessa considered the wolf girl for a moment. Although she was a child, her haunted eyes held a depth unlike any Nessa had seen in one so young before. The ferocity in her face and words were only enhanced by the jagged claw marks running down her cheek. As reddish-yellow flames began crackling in her hair, Nessa cooled her temper choosing her words carefully.
“Understand, I am just as annoyed by this situation as you, but I have given my word to keep you both safe until the Paladin returns. The least you can do is give me the respect deserving of your guardian.”
For a long minute, the wolf girl didn’t speak as Nessa held her eyes unflinchingly. She could feel the building heat through the thick skin of her back as the girl’s anger continued to grow. Although very much aware of the deadly power the small wolf girl could wield, Nessa refused to back down at the implied threat, even as the intensity built to an uncomfortable level. She had to deal with this now if there were to be any peace between them. The tension was suddenly broken as her sister, Frostbrand, sadly placed a clawed hand on her sister’s shoulder.
Although the frustration and anguish were clearly visible in the little Werewolf’s yellow eyes, Frostbrand sought to soothe
her sister’s pain.
For a long moment Starfire gave no indication that she’d heard her sister’s words, but slowly the magical fire began fading away. When all of a sudden the wolf girl sagged against her sister crying softly.
Confused, Nessa reached out for the young wolf girl’s shoulder speaking softly. “He sent you away so that you would live, not die.”
Wrenching her shoulder away from the empathetic touch, Starfire shrieked in anguish as the tears ran down her scarred face.
For a second Nessa didn’t know what to say. She hadn’t expected a response that so closely matched the heart of her own people. The first thing a new foal learned once they were able to stand was how to hold a mace. Although they tried to keep the young safe, in a tribe everyone fought. A fact of life ever since the Great War. Thinking quickly, she tried another approach.
“He has a small army with him. I’m sure he will be fine. Death does not come to a Paladin so easily.”
The words died on Nessa’s lips at Starfire’s glare, even though it was Frostbrand that spoke.
Immediately Starfire picked up where her sister thoughts left off.
Frowning, Nessa felt the weight of her fears weighing down her heart as she silently agreed with the young wolf girl’s words. The internal conflict in her own heart was almost too much to bear. Finding Enelya after all of these years and then being forced to serve her “Skuldir Líf” by Luonnotar. It was almost too much to bear.
Looking in the direction of the Wild Elf village Nessa fought the urge to race back to Enelya. It made no sense to return now. Besides breaking her promise by the time she made it back up the mountain, it would be too late to make a difference in the battle one way or another. Closing her eyes, Nessa focused on the link between them. Something in her heart told her that Enelya was still alive, but for how long only Luonnotar knew. At the sound of rustling bushes nearby, Nessa’s head jerked around just in time to see a Wild Elf stepping into the path ahead of them.
“Excuse me, ladies, I am Dínendal Telrúnya. The Spirit Mother sent me to guide you to Tenue Sûre.”
Warily Nessa studied the Wild Elf’s familiar face as she gripped her staff with both hands. “I know you. You’re the leader of the scouts that attacked us in the glade.”
Holding his hands up open-palmed Dínendal approached talking quickly. “True enough, but please understand I was under the Chaos Shard’s influence at the time. I had no control over my actions.”
A dark shadow momentarily crossed the Elf’s smooth face as tears welled up in his eyes. “I pray that you never know the horror of watching your friends die by your own hand and being helpless to stop it … it’s worse than death.”
Nessa’s flattened ears slowly lifted from her skull as she focused on the Elf’s pained filled face. She couldn’t even begin to imagine the anguish he must be going through. Pain such as that would never go away. At a loss for words, Nessa waited for the Wild Elf to regain his composure.
Wiping the tears away, Dínendal met her eyes gruffly pointing towards the far side of the valley. “Our path lies there. We’ll be in Tenue Sûre by midmorning.”
Confused, Nessa’s eyes traced the path Dínendal pointed out. “Enelya said we should pass over the next rise and look for the valley there.”
“That’s the direct route if you don’t know where you’re going, but it leaves us vulnerable to eyes of the enemy. Following the path through the valley is somewhat longer, but none will see our passing.”
Looking back at the sullen girls thoughtfully Nessa considered Dínendal’s reasoning. Coming to a decision, she nodded for the Elf to lead the way. Although their passage went quickly, the valley was longer than she’d first thought. Surprisingly Dínendal’s pace kept her at a steady trot, which held their conversation to a minimum. The heavy foliage of the forest kept the mountains around them mostly hidden from view. By the time she realized they were on the wrong side of the ridge, they’d already passed completely out of its shadow.
Coming to the crest of the valley, Nessa stopped abruptly looking at Dínendal in confusion. “Why are we heading towards Mount Haldamir? Enelya said Tenue Sûre lay on the opposite side of the ridge behind us.”
The sinister smile that suddenly appeared on the Wilf Elf’s face brought her instantly alert as Dínendal slowly faced her drawing his tambos. “That’s because you wouldn’t have come if I’d told you our true destination.”
Nessa’s ears flattened against her skull as Frostbrand’s warning growl reverberated up her spine. At the same time, Starfire’s thoughts rang in her head.
Thinking back on the previous day, Nessa suddenly realized that Dínendal hadn’t been among the Elves that Startüm had cleansed in the holding area. If the Tuonellian Hulk had found the Wild Elf village by the infected, he must know they were here now.
There was no time to hesitate. Springing forward, Nessa smashed the weapons from the Elf’s hands. Dínendal tried to jump out of the away, but she was too quick. Within seconds she caught him one handed, lifting him into the air by his throat.
“We’re heading back the way we came, and you’ll be coming with us.“
Instead of trying to fight her grip, Dínendal began laughing like a maniac. Nessa’s felt the hackles rise on her back as the Wilf Elf’s hate filled voice rasped in glee.
“Oh, that won’t do at all. In fact, my slaves will make sure you join me in Daeron Fortress.”
The loud clanking sound of metal on metal around her made Nessa’s heart jump. Backing up, she reared on her hind legs swinging around in a tight circle. Stepping out of hiding there had to be at least twenty Ironidium Knights surrounding her! How had they approached that close without her knowing it? Without looking over her shoulder, Nessa called out to the girls on her back.
“Hold tight. We’re getting out of here!”
Still balanced on her hind legs with her hair streaming behind her, Nessa leaped into the air slamming her front hooves into the chest of the nearest knight. The force of the blow blasted the knight from his feet as she threw Dínendal into the next knight with all of her strength. Grasping the black Staff of Yatri in both hands, she followed up the attacks with a full body swing that drove the second knight staggering backward. Flowing with the motion, Nessa threw herself at their attackers.
Quickly Nessa learned to respect the strength of her enemy as the knights’ great swords hammered at her staff. Within minutes, her hands were numb from meeting the power of their blows head-on. Jumping and leaping about the rough circle Nessa fought the ever tightening line of armored suits that sought to entrap her.
Blood streamed down her heaving flanks as some of the blows made it through her defenses. Ignoring her wounds, Nessa screeched in rage as she threw herself at the enemy again and again. Fire and ice lashed at the knights from the girls on her back, washing uselessly against the runes of protection etched in the suit’s tinnearlian metal. As she spun around and fought, it slowly dawned on her that it didn’t matter how many of her hits made it through the knights’ defenses. Every time she knocked a knight to the ground they simply rolled back to their armored feet and rejoined the battle.
Even though Nessa had seen the unbelievable strength of the magically crafted suits during the Great War, it was another matter altogether to be facing that power alone and outnumbered. She had to come up with a plan if she was going to honor her promise to the Paladin.
Rearing into the air on her hind legs Nessa’s slammed her front legs into the knights before her, raising her staff two-
handed above her head to strike. The force of the kicks jolted the knights in front of her to a stop. As they brought their two-handed swords up to block the attack, she was already moving. Spinning around Nessa raced for the edge of the valley.
Only three Knights were blocking the slope. With an undulating war cry, Nessa slammed into the lead knight with her entire body. Batting his sword aside with a two-handed blow of her staff, she drove him into the ground without stopping, springing for the gap as the last two knights struck. The first blow she deflected, but the second blade struck true, biting deep into her flank as she leaped down the ridge to the valley.
Pain lanced through Nessa’s side as she struggled to keep balance, but the strength fled from her hind leg like the wind. As Starfire and Frostbrand clawed at her back for balance, Nessa went down in a sprawling mass of arms and legs. She felt more than saw the girls catapult over her head as she tumbled down the rocky slope out of control.
Coming to a jolting stop, Nessa hit the bottom of the valley hard scrabbling to a stop with her thick nailed fingers in a cloud of dirt and debris. Blood ran into her eyes as she shakily rose to her hooves on three good legs. Seeing the Ironidium Knights sliding down the slope almost on top of them, Nessa rushed to the stunned wolf girls. Yanking them to their feet, she shoved them towards the deep woods screaming.
“Run!”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Location Earth / Jerry Truman:
Fighting the Super Hornet’s flat spin, Jerry Truman swore nonstop as his fighter jet plummeted towards the ground. G-forces plastered him to the side of his cockpit as he tried everything in the book to get the dead fighter jet to respond, but the electronics were completely dead.
It had all happened so fast. As soon as he’d seen the explosion of blue energy radiating out from the island, Jerry had known they were in trouble. Ordering AFLACK to stay on his six, Jerry went into a vertical climb punching the afterburners as the energy wave blossomed beneath them, but it was too late. The explosion caught AFLACK before he’d managed to even pull the nose of his fighter up, while Jerry’s engines had cut off a few seconds later.
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