by Ben Hale
"Your new orders," Jack said. "As you can see, they come directly from the president. You are the fourth to see them."
Wolf's eyes widened and then flicked to Jack. "Is this legit?"
"Only if you want it," Jack said, and there was a hint of warning in his eyes. "This mission is classified by presidential order. Only he and those involved are aware of its existence. Even the joint chiefs have no idea."
"There's no target destination listed," Wolf said shrewdly. "You don't want the Harbingers finding out."
"No," Jack said, "we don't. Will your team accept the order?"
Wolf didn't hesitate. "No question. When do we ship out?"
"Tonight," Jack replied. "I've already spoken to your CO and he's cleared you for this operation. You are to gather your team with all the necessary equipment and assemble on the flight deck at 2300 hours. You have three hours, Captain."
Wolf saluted. Then he turned on his heel and returned to his quarters. For the first time since the Dark had appeared he felt a surge of hope. This was what he had been waiting for, what he had hoped for.
A chance to strike back.
He swung the hatch open and stepped inside. The rest of the team fell silent at his expression. Every muscle in Wolf's body tingled with anticipation, but his training took over.
"Assemble with full tactical gear on the flight deck. We have a mission."
Hearing the timbre of steel in his voice, they leapt to follow his orders. At every query he answered the same way.
"You will be briefed en route to our objective."
An hour before lift-off they hustled their way to the flight deck. Men and women stepped aside. Their eyes widened as the heavily armed SEALs jogged past them. They could not have known the mission, but someone saluted—and then another. Soon every soldier they passed rose to salute the SEALs.
Wolf felt a chill as he ran past them, but it was one of anticipation. Stepping out of the last hatch, he strode to the heavy lift chopper that rested on the cracked deck. Crates of gear were being loaded aboard by a second team.
"You're early," Jack said.
"Couldn't wait, sir," Wolf responded, and the other SEALs grinned behind him.
Jack nodded, and led Wolf to the man directing the loading. "This is Charlie," he said. "Head of the MIO task force. While you've been fighting Twisted, he's been taking down Harbinger mages. I'm sure you will get along."
Charlie issued a rumbling chuckle through his gray goatee. "I have no doubt of that."
Accompanied by three women, another figure appeared from the other side of the chopper. "Jack," Janson said and nodded to him. "She's done enchanting the chopper."
Jack accepted the report, and then introduced the three women. "Wolf, this is Kate, sniper for the MIO task force." He then pointed to the second, who was dressed in body armor and wore a pair of swords on her back. "Ritsu is a mage who will help us on this mission, and I believe you know—"
"Linda," Wolf said. Disbelief colored his tone.
Dressed in a sleek combat uniform, Linda looked nothing like the secretary Wolf had met in Erzurum. She flashed a grin at his expression.
"Sorry, Eric," she said, "I was undercover with your military."
"What magic do you have?"
Linda flashed a brilliant smile, and lifted off the ground. She glided around him as the other SEALs whistled in appreciation.
"But you were running in Erzurum," Wolf said, unable to wrap his head around the idea that she was a mage.
"I was just waiting for the convoy to get far enough ahead that I could fly without being seen. Then you appeared."
Wolf released a deep, belly laugh. "Soldier?"
She nodded. "Just like you."
One of the MIO task force interrupted them. "Agent Oliver? We're ready."
Jack gestured to the SEALs. "Load up. Once we are in the air I will brief you on our final instructions."
The SEALs were quick to climb aboard, and in short order they were rising into the sky. Wolf was pleased to find Linda sitting next to him. He flashed her a grin—which she returned. Then Jack stood up and addressed the gathered soldiers.
"I apologize for not revealing our full mission, but we cannot afford for the Harbingers to learn of our intent. From here we go to England to pick up the rest of our strike force, which includes SEAL team seven, and several Apache gunships. They are being modified as we speak to surpass their maximum altitude, just as Linda did with this bird.
"Once we rendezvous with them we will fly above the Dark to reach our intended target . . . Auroraq. We're going after the Harbinger headquarters—and the Sword of Elseerian. We're going to close the portal to the Dark."
Wolf had suspected as much, but to hear it out loud sent a thrill throughout his frame. The rest of his team crowed in delight.
"What about the Voidlings?" Janson asked. His eyes flicked to the SEALs, and he added, "They are entities of the Dark. How are we going to fight them?"
"That's being worked on from another angle," Jack replied. "By the time we get there we hope to have a viable weapon. Make no mistake, this mission will be the most dangerous you have ever joined. Without inside help we would be dead long before we could set foot on the mage city."
His gaze swept the group. "Each of you represent the best we have. If this mission fails, mankind will not get another chance. Humanity will fall to Alice, and freedom on Earth will come to an end. I know I can count you."
"Hooyah," Duck muttered beside Wolf.
Wolf looked at the men and women around him. For the first time doubt did not enter his mind. He didn't know the MIO team, but the mettle in their eyes could not be denied. Janson and the mages had proven their worth, and his own team would never quit. If anyone could take down Alice, it was them.
Or they would die trying.
Chapter 32: A Swordsman Lost
The Swordsman glided through the trees of Auroraq, his senses tuned to his surroundings. Breaker had informed him of the impending assault, forcing him to complete his mission early. If the assault on the Spirus failed they would tighten security. Even if it succeeded Alice might escape. He did not wish to miss his opening.
Normally he would complete such a mission at night, but the Voidlings made that inadvisable. The late afternoon allowed him to spot their dark forms with plenty of time to find a way to circumvent them.
The stillness in Sentre was disturbing. Just months ago the pathways and gardens had been full of mages going about their business. Now hardly a soul braved the presence of the Voidlings to reach other sections of the city. If Alice's plan had been to prevent the citizens of Auroraq from moving at all, it had worked.
Voidlings patrolled the city, their disturbing forms gliding past closed homes and shuttered shops. The brutal deaths of the early protestors had been sufficient deterrent for most of them. With the people absent, fear prevailed.
The Swordsman did his best to set it aside, and moved from shadow to shadow on his way through Sentre. As he'd planned, he reached the Magtherian as dusk began to fall. Four Voidlings circled the building in a continuous route, leaving no spot unguarded. Another set glided around the upper segments, preventing flyers from approaching the building.
Just a short time ago the Swordsman had infiltrated the Vaults under the Magtherian. Unmatched in history, the feat had challenged every facet of his ability. Facing just eight Voidlings, he considered this to be far more difficult. They were foes he could not harm, making everything in his arsenal—magic or tactic—useless. Avoiding detection was his only chance.
Piercing the sky, the sixty-three floors of the Spirus were fashioned of white granite and curving glass. Scattered balconies arced out, allowing many of the higher ranking officials a private overlook of the city. Sweeping arches supported the base, and provided an open view of the first two levels. The Recollection was housed within, and contained many artifacts from throughout mage history.
Taking a deep breath, he donned his cloak and activated th
e new enchantment that Indigo had placed on it. Gifted with light magic, she was also adept at casting shadow. Wisps of smoke curled off him, emulating the Voidlings’ form. The disguise counted on the fact that the creatures still used some form of sight to locate their victims. But it was not perfect, mostly because they hadn't managed to get the vertical jaws right.
It wouldn't hold up to close scrutiny, but it didn't need to endure much. Stepping from the shadows, he tried to match the gliding gait of the Voidlings on his way to a small side building. Every step he expected to see them come after him, but he'd chosen his approach well. The thirty steps to reach the building were almost out of view from the Voidlings guarding the Spirus. His heart pounding, he finally ducked inside.
From this point on he considered himself inside the enemy stronghold, meaning that if he were discovered he would be killed or turned over to the Voidlings. Descending on cat's feet, he reached the base and stepped into a wide tunnel.
A trio of Sundrops rested in the corridor that bored through the base of the city. Intended for international travel, the mage ships had seen little use in recent days—as he'd hoped. It meant the large corridor was abandoned.
Cautious, he worked his way down the tunnel until he reached a small arch on the side. Intended for use by members of the Magtherian, the small exit allowed for the higher masters a direct route to the Sundrop ships. Unused since Alice's takeover, the opening had been warded against intrusion and then ignored.
The Swordsman stopped in front of it and placed a gold handle against the shimmering wall. Activating its morphing hex, he waited until sparks issued from the top, bottom, and one side of the shield. Then he pulled the handle and swung the barrier open like a shield. In a single motion he slipped inside and it swung shut. It shimmered and returned to its original enchantment.
He raced up the stairs to the door at the top. The moment he reached the summit it opened. The Swordsman blasted through the opening and collided with the Harbinger guard. The man grunted and went down, hard. The Swordsman rolled from the inert body and whipped his sword free. Three Harbingers were rising to their feet but the room was small, giving him an edge. They went down in seconds.
Wiping the blood from his blade he strode from the room. This entry had been a risk. If a Voidling had been present he would have likely been killed. With such strong enchantments blocking the way, the Harbingers had no doubt assumed a Voidling was unnecessary—but Breaker had removed them with the help of the former mages that had guarded this location.
The Swordsman made a mental note to thank them and moved on. He'd counted the odds and bet on a place of entry. Now that he was inside, the route would be regularly patrolled by the Dark entities. He passed two more enchantments before he found one.
Blocking the hallway, the Voidling stood immovable. Dark smoke drifted off its form, fading into wisps. There was no route around it, leaving the Swordsman with two options. Go through it, or backtrack and hope for a secondary route.
Wary of taking the creature on, the Swordsman retreated first and tried to find another path upward. There wasn't one. Recognizing that the Voidling had chosen its position well, he came to a halt, and slowly turned around.
For a long minute he thought about the Voidling, and the hallway he guarded. Then he shrugged and began to walk toward it. When he reached the corner he didn’t pause, and rotated into the Voidling's line of sight. He cast a strength charm and pulled a small knife as he advanced.
The Voidling accelerated toward him, its smoky form gliding soundlessly across the floor. Thirty feet became twenty, then ten, and then five. Then the Swordsman exploded into motion. Just as the Voidling reached out to grasp him, he activated his shadow hook. Designed to attach to shadows and darkness, it was one of his best tools of infiltration. This time it became one of assault.
Catching the Voidling in the chest, he felt his glove adhere to the smoky flesh. Anchoring his foot, he turned and hurled the Voidling back down the hall. Aided by his strength charm, the throw launched it twenty feet before it came to a sliding stop. Its form swelled as if in fury, but the Swordsman was gone.
The moment he'd released he'd surged into a sprint towards the Magtherian. Nearing the end of the hallway he whirled and threw his knife down the hall. Soaring true, it missed the Voidling by inches and sank into a subtle hex hidden in the wall.
The Swordsman had recognized it and bypassed it easily. Now his knife activated the curse as if an intruder had been sensed—and twin walls of enchantments slammed down. Sealing the hallway at both ends, it left the Voidling trapped in the center. The Swordsman didn't wait to see how long it contained the black creature. Turning on his heel, he ascended to the private lift reserved for the masters of the Magtherian.
The gravity lift carried him up six floors. Then he exited into the Inter-Race Mediation Office. Empty since Alice’s takeover, the desks and chair sat gathering dust. A handful of office assistants rose at his entry, their translucent features hopeful. Standing at three feet in height, they were simple water entities enchanted to do the bidding of Magtherian personnel. The Swordsman motioned them out of view and they reluctantly departed.
A full minute ticked by before the gravity lift was activated again. Heading down, a number of Harbingers and Voidlings zipped past. Once they were gone he ducked out from behind the fountain and slipped across the floor to another lift. He rode it up several levels before switching to another.
By now he was certain they were searching for him. It was only a matter of time until they tracked him down. In spite of the techno curses he'd activated with his tools, the mages would find traces of his passage. His best course lay in eliminating his target quickly.
Four lifts and many floors later he reached a rear entrance to the High Council Chamber. A few steps brought him to the edge of shadow, where he scanned the large space. Since Hawk had decimated it, the room had been mostly rebuilt. The ceiling had been sealed and no doubt reinforced, while the table and amphitheatre seats had similarly been repaired. Noticeably absent, the pillars that had been great stone sentinels would likely take decades to enchant.
Three people sat around the white table reserved for High Council members. Alice had taken the head, while Keidon and Varson sat on either side. The Swordsman sent a quick look around the room and saw only a pair of Voidlings standing guard. Satisfied, he drew the stock to his ethereal crossbow.
It solidified into shape and he took careful aim. Engaged in muted conversation, Alice and the two men were a good hundred yards away and not paying attention. The distance did not bother the Swordsman, but he had no desire to miss. Drawing a bead on Alice's head, he watched the side of her face move as she spoke. He let out a slow breath . . . and pulled the trigger.
The bolt streaked across the distance—and missed. Scoring a line across her cheek, it thudded into the table. The Swordsman cursed and levered another bolt into place. He fired twice more, but both seemed to slip around Alice's form before joining the first.
"Get him!" Alice barked.
The Swordsman didn't wait. Touching one of the runes on his weapon, he activated a latent curse within the three bolts. They detonated into a firestorm that threw Varson and Keidon to the ground. Alice remained on her feet, her yellow magic burning across her body.
The Swordsman dismissed the crossbow and sheathed the stock. Then he drew his sword and surged into a sprint—but felt a cold grip settle onto his arm. He spun to retaliate, but his strength and magic abandoned him. He fought back against the Voidling's power, but instead fell to his knees as Alice approached.
Fleetingly he wondered where the Voidling had come from. He had not been in the chamber or the hall he'd entered from. That could only mean he'd been lying in wait inside one of the offices that ringed the High Council room. Lying in wait for him. His anger was siphoned with the rest of his strength.
She smiled. "You never stood a chance, assassin."
He tried to think, tried to resist, but his consciousness
was fading. If these were his last words he'd better make them count.
"Arrogance makes people so stupid," he said.
She blinked, and then realized he was referring to her. Her expression clouded with anger as Varson stepped into view, his hand raised to strike him. She stopped him, and then motioned him out of the way.
"You should see the face of your betrayer," she said.
Indigo stepped into his dimming vision, causing fury to fill his frame. Quaking in place, he felt a second Voidling catch his other arm.
"You . . ." he spit the word at her.
Indigo knelt in front of him. "I wish it could have ended differently, Swordsman, but Rook was right."
"Then why trick me here?" he growled.
"To see you suffer," she replied. Her blue eyes were bitter cold. "You scorned me, and it was time I returned the favor. Goodbye, Swordsman . . ."
Relentless, the Dark entities overpowered him. His last memory was of her taking his sword, and the surge of regret.
***
He awoke bound by black chains. Confused, he looked around the tiny room he'd been placed in and tried to recall his name, or how he'd ended up there. Metal clinked as he shifted, and he winced as he felt the pain of various wounds. He squinted at the dried blood on his shoulder, trying to recall when it had been injured.
"Feeling lost?" a voice said.
He turned to the door and found two women standing in the opening. The one on the right was maddeningly familiar, but he could not recall her name. Her features were attractive but haughty with satisfaction. She approached and knelt in front of him.
"The great Swordsman, bound and without memory," she said. "I doubt you can even recall my name."
"Who are you?" he asked. "Why do you call me the Swordsman?"
The other woman laughed, drawing his attention to her. Small and petite, she couldn't have been more different, and yet there was a tangible air of danger about her that made him cautious.
"You were right, Indigo," she said. "This was the best way to neutralize him."
