Impact of the Fallen: The White Mage Saga #4 (The Chronicles of Lumineia)

by Ben Hale

  "Watch your back," he murmured to her. "And come back alive."

  She flashed a crooked smile. "You too."

  Joining Hawk, they departed through the gate. Jack stared at the space through which they had disappeared, his thoughts troubled.

  "What was that all about?" Kate asked.

  He turned to find her at his elbow. "An understanding."

  "Of what?"

  "Of what a father is willing to do for his child," he said. She peaked an eyebrow at him, causing him to smile. "Where did you get that necklace?"

  "Tess asked me to wear it throughout the battle. She said it could protect me." She touched it. "I don't what its magic is, but it's warm."

  "Anything that protects you, I'm happy about," he said. Her eyes flashed, but she had a smile on her face.

  "We need to get into position," she said.

  Derek and agent Bracken appeared at their side. Derek took them through the Gate into the earth school practicum chambers. With great caution he led them to the summit of the mountain school. Then he opened a gap in the stone that exited onto a small recess. An ancient yet imposing statue of a man stood in the center of the cave, and the opening looked out to the north. Guarded by a ring of rock and a partial roof, the space was as good as any from which to run the operation.

  Kate leaned up to kiss Jack. "Take care of her," she murmured. Then she caught up her gear and strode to the other side of the alcove.

  As the last line of defense, Kate laid out her sniper’s blanket and began to set up her rifle at the slim opening. Bracken did the same. As a skilled sniper, his gun had also been modified by Tess's friends to prevent discovery.

  Jack watched them settle in with a cold fear tracing through him. In spite of his previous exchange with Hawk, he felt like he was sending his family to die. His gaze flicked to the statue, which Derek had mentioned was of some mage general. Then he turned to Meagan and Mara. He'd brought Meagan with him, and she was occupied with setting up her equipment. Beside her, Mara stood chattering nervously as she worked her techno magic.

  "The Order is almost ready," Mara said, and then began talking to the wall.

  Jack took a settling breath and donned a headset. Nodding to the girls, he set things in motion.

  "Wolf, this is Tabletop. Eastpoint, Westpoint, and Tryton's are being evacuated as much as possible without giving away our intent. You are cleared to engage . . ."

  ***

  Wolf accepted the order and then exited Breaker's house. From there he led his team through the trees of Sentre, doing his best not to ogle the environment. Part of his brain couldn't believe it was real. The water fountains curved contrary to the laws of physics. The trees grew into shapes that defied description, their skin as supple as velvet. The liquid glass in shop displays reflected sunlight into a thousand colors. He caught himself staring on more than one occasion.

  "Eyes to the front," he murmured.

  The order was for himself, but he'd noticed that most of his men were struggling as well. With an effort he called on his tactical training and scanned the dark environment for signs of targets.

  "It's easy to forget how breathtaking it is," Linda murmured beside him.

  He cast her a lingering look, grateful that she'd been assigned to join his team. Dressed in auren combat fatigues, she was quite fetching, and Wolf had to remind himself to stay focused.

  "That's the right word for it," Wolf replied. He looked away before she could feel his gaze on her. Her smile flashed out of the corner of his eye.

  A whisper of sound came from up front, and he made a hand signal. Every member of his team dropped to a crouch and hung still, the motion tense and ready. Iris released a rumble of annoyance.

  "It's just a squirrel, Wolf," she said.

  "How can you be sure?" He threw her an irritated glance.

  Jack had made it clear he could trust her, but having a teenage girl on an op felt wrong. Most of his past missions ended in blood and gory death, not to mention the fear and shock of seeing men die in front of you. She was a variable that he couldn't count on. Would she panic and run in the face of danger? Or fight alongside them? How did a technology mage fight anyway?

  "I'm lazed into every monitoring mote in the vicinity," she said.

  "Could you say that in a term I would understand? And please keep your voice down."

  She glared up at him like a diminutive, black and purple haired, tiger. "I am tapped into every camera in the area, but these cameras see much more than you can imagine."

  "Can anyone see us?" Duck asked.

  Iris jerked her head to him. "I did say I was keeping them off us, didn't I?"

  Duck's eyes flicked to Wolf. Under the mask of camo paint his expression was amused. He gave a slight shrug, a motion Wolf understood after a decade of serving together. She's fine by me.

  "Just stay close, would you?" Wolf muttered, and then resumed their stalking advance.

  The mage city felt overly loud and bright to him, even though it was an hour before dawn. He was not surprised at the lack of mosquitoes or ticks such as he’d encountered in the jungles of Central America. The cleanliness rivaled a king's garden.

  "Stop," Iris said, and matched his motion to hold.

  Annoyed, he obeyed the order and crouched, his gaze out and scanning. "Mind if I lead the team?" he whispered. Linda released a low chuckle.

  "Only if you want to get us killed," Iris replied back, just as annoyed.

  Despite her tone her voice was finally quiet, sparking a sense of caution within him. Instantly his mind shifted to that of a wary Navy SEAL. He was in a foreign environment and had a capable asset to guide him to their target. Whatever her size, he needed to use her.

  "What do we have?" he asked.

  "Voidling. Fifty yards up and slightly east," she said.

  He shifted his gun in the direction she'd indicated, but saw nothing. Resisting the impulse to question her, he ordered Duck to his side.

  "Duck, you're with me. The rest of you remain twenty yards back on standby. Iris, stay behind me and keep us in the right direction. Let's see if that sword works."

  To his surprise she didn't argue. Neither did Linda, who crouched with the other soldiers. Silent as a SEAL, Iris moved into position as Duck pulled his Voidling sword from a scabbard on his back. His father had been a Marine, and he'd learned how to handle a sword from him.

  Once the weapon was out, Wolf made a cutting motion with his hand and began to advance. Step by cautious step he worked his way toward the enemy. After ten paces he saw it, or at least thought he did. The Voidling lacked facial features. In their place a vertical mouth seemed to suck in the predawn air through jagged teeth. Like a blot of ink, it was still visible in the predawn darkness. Shifting to pursue it, Wolf tried not to think of his first encounter with the Dark.

  Step. Lean. Step. They worked their way forward. Fleetingly Wolf realized that Iris was almost as quiet as they were, and a glance revealed that her expression was just as focused. They reached the edge of the trees and Wolf signaled a halt while they were still in shadow. The Voidling had come to a pause next to a wellspring that intersected several paths.

  No one moved, and the seconds ticked away. Wolf caught Iris's gaze and made a motion. Can you get it to come here?

  She nodded, and her eyes glazed slightly. A moment later there was a popping noise above their position. The Voidling spun and glided toward them. Duck shifted the sword to strike. They tensed—and in the same moment the Voidling slowed. Its creepy form twisted to look at them. Without warning it lunged. Ready for the assault, Duck lifted the point of the sword and allowed the Voidling to charge right onto it.

  —the smoky body fluttered and stumbled, its form vibrating as if it was being tased. Duck rose to his feet and yanked the sword free. Then he chopped it through the upper torso. The Voidling shuddered and crumpled inward, the absolute darkness fading to dust akin to gray ash, but heavier. The tiny flecks coalesced into a misshapen form of sickly f
lesh that hovered off the ground.

  Wolf pulled the trigger on his silenced pistol, and pummeled the creature with lead. It shuddered and disintegrated. Like thousands of sandy particles striking the stone path, the remains of the Voidling speckled the ground, inert. Duck retreated to the shadows and froze, and for a long minute no one moved.

  "Clear?" he asked Iris.

  "Clear," she said. Her gaze carried an intense satisfaction as she stared at the Voidling's remains.

  Wolf thumbed the radio, connecting him to the base of operations on Tryton's. "Tabletop, this is Wolf. Be advised that one shadow has been erased. Advancing to primary target. Will eliminate targets of opportunity."

  Jack's voice replied. "Keep me apprised, Wolf. Breaker is en route to the North. You have fifteen minutes to reach the rally point. Tabletop out."

  Chapter 39: Robar's Place

  His senses tuned to his surroundings, Breaker led his soldiers to the edge of Sentre. Beside him, Ritsu held one of the anti-Voidling swords. Of Japanese descent, she had trained with numerous weapons. She was by far the most skilled of their group with a blade.

  They had taken out four Voidlings on the way to the Northpoint barricade. Breaker had felt an extreme pleasure watching each one go down. These creatures had killed his friends and robbed his family of their freedom. Witnessing their end was what he'd dreamed of for weeks.

  Ten feet to his side, Freezer glided through the trees with his men. For aurens they moved with stealth and precision, and Breaker was grateful to have them. Their combined numbers were close to those on Northpoint. Their advantage lay in holding the chokepoint from Northpoint to Sentre—and the anti-Dark sword.

  Uri, a techno mage that had joined the battlemages just a year ago, drifted close to him. "The threads are pulsing," he said. "I've never seen anything like it."

  "Even from Iris?" Breaker's eyebrow shot up. He doubted anything could keep that girl down. Uri nodded.

  "There might be interference from other enchantments," Breaker said. "Keep me apprised."

  Uri's gaze conveyed doubt, but he accepted the order. "Yes Prime."

  Breaker fought the nagging worry and motioned to Freezer. When the soldier had drifted close, he voiced his concerns.

  "It's possible they know we're coming."

  "We aren't retreating," Freezer said coldly.

  "Just watch your step. We should be there in thirty seconds."

  Freezer passed on the request, and a moment later the barricade came into view. Erected shortly after the Harbingers had assumed power, the twenty foot wall seeped wisps of smoke. From previous attempts to breach it, Breaker knew that it was fashioned of anti-magic and the Dark. He doubted they could get in—but that was not their intention.

  Breaker began issuing orders. "Set your fire traps and gravity wells along the tree line. Plant mages, prep treewalkers and root snares. I want the space in front of the wall littered with them. Earth mages, cast your golem charms but keep them underground until I give the order. Sound and light, cast piercing and asunder hexes. We're going to need the firepower."

  "I want C4 and claymores in position," Freezer hissed from beside him. "And get the mounted .50's into position. Jameson, help set up the mortars fifty feet back. Then make your sniper's nest. You have two minutes."

  The seconds ticked away, and Breaker tried not to think about them being caught. He'd prepared himself to do this under fire. The lack of detection caused his worry to mount. After everything Alice had anticipated, how could she not know they were there?

  But there was no going back now. They had committed everything to this assault, and in spite of his fears they had a weapon against the Voidlings. That alone could make the difference. Forcing his concerns aside, he finished the preparations. Then he radioed Tess's father an update.

  "Showtime," Freezer rumbled, and racked the slide on his weapon.

  ***

  "Robar, you are cleared to engage."

  Jack's voice spoke into Robar's earbud, and he nodded to Charlie. "Let's get this party started," he said.

  Charlie's gaze sparkled with anticipation as he motioned to his MIO team. One by one they signaled their readiness without moving from cover. Scattered throughout a garden in the middle of Tryton's Academy, they had positioned themselves to defend every angle of attack.

  As both the bait and the trap, Robar thumbed the safety on his assault rifle and walked into the clearing. Then he pointed his gun at the Voidling in the distance and released a few rounds. His bullets sparked off the rocks behind it, causing its vertical jaws to turn in his direction.

  Surging into motion, the Voidling glided toward him with lethal intent, and in seconds others joined it. Like Robar had stepped on an anthill, dozens of them burst into view and cascaded toward Robar.

  Robar had seen images of the Dark entities, but witnessing them in real life was something else entirely. The strange vertical jaws were as repulsive as they were fearsome. A grim smile spread on his features as he waited for them. His whole life he'd wandered. Now he had a purpose.

  He trained his weapon on the fastest. It swept through the trees, and other Dark entities continued to join the throng. He opened fire, drawing them even faster. Somewhere a student screamed at the gunshots, but Robar didn't turn away.

  The leader dodged a fountain and came at him, intent on punishing such an insolent act—and struck the edge of Robar's immunity. It stumbled, the smoky energy that bound its body stripping away. The organisms that formed the Dark clumped together as Wolf had described, leaving a misshapen lump of grey flesh.

  Robar gunned it down before it could attempt to retreat and recover. The flesh disintegrated like a clump of ash had been tossed into the wind. The slaying caused some of the Voidlings to slow, but most accelerated. Robar's smile widened as he put them down.

  Around him the silenced weapons of MIO task force joined the fray. Alone in the clearing, Robar swiveled to keep all his foes in sight. In minutes the Harbingers at the school arrived, and then the battle became bloody.

  Robar stood his ground as Mallian appeared in the distance. His face was twisted in a mask of fury. Robar did not retreat. This was his role and right. His very presence drew every enemy to him. His radio chirped, indicating that Chuck had signaled the tactic was working. Then he devoted his attention to killing. And staying alive.

  As he reloaded he thumbed his radio. "Tabletop, this is Robar. They're flocking to me. Send him in."

  Chapter 40: Assaulting the Spirus

  Wolf had seen the Spirus from a distance, but up close the structure took his breath away. White granite and flowing glass merged to create an air of elegance and power. Its sheer size belied reality. In the briefing they had been told that it had sixty-three floors above ground, and five beneath.

  The Shield of Auroraq office was housed on the third subterranean floor, meaning they would have to go through the Battlemage Corps Headquarters to get to it. Prior to the Harbinger takeover there had been thousands of soldiers there. Alice had dismissed everyone not loyal to her, leaving just a couple hundred battlemage Harbingers. The presence of Voidlings had obviously been intended to compensate for that weakness.

  Iris gave him the signal, and Wolf barked in a harsh whisper, "Move!"

  They hustled across the open ground, making a beeline for the Voidling at the corner of the building. It heard their footsteps and turned. Smoke gathered and bunched like angry muscles—but it was too late. Duck slipped into the lead and whipped the sword out, cutting it in half. Wolf followed in his wake and put it down. It disintegrated into dust as the team hustled inside.

  Wolf made a hand signal and the whole team found cover inside the massive opening to the Recollection. Duck remained at the corner of the building, his sword low and ready.

  "Where is it?" he whispered.

  Iris's eyes glazed as she looked through her magic, then she held up a hand and counted down with her fingers.

  Three, two, one . . .

  Duck sw
ung his sword around the corner, sending the blade through the chest of a patrolling Voidling. Again Wolf gave it a double-tap to put it down. They withdrew as it disintegrated. They waited, and one by one killed the other six that patrolled the base of the Spirus. When they were finished, Wolf tapped Duck on the shoulder and they moved into the Recollection.

  "Tabletop, the fence is down. Entering museum now."

  His radio chirped once to signify that Jack had heard, and Wolf returned his attention to his surroundings. Hundreds of artifacts surrounded him. Many were weapons and statues, others he could not identify. One that drew his eyes was a giant hourglass, but instead of sand it had a gold liquid that flowed upward. Another nearby held a prowling wolf of metallic silver. It blinked at them as they passed, and Wolf tried not to stare.

  Iris directed them to the south side of the structure, and the team took up positions behind the illuminated stands. Due to the early hour, the Recollection was vacant, but there were two Voidlings at the entrance to the subterranean floors. A film of purple light filled the gap under a large archway, indicating their goal.

  Wolf nodded to Duck and Linda and they darted away. A moment later Wolf's radio clicked twice, indicating that Duck was in position. At Wolf's motion Linda rose and flew through the magical displays toward the guarded arch. Wolf slid to the side and watched the events unfold through a gap in the pedestals.

  Linda glided straight at the Voidlings. When it was apparent that she was headed their way, they drifted away from the wall and advanced toward her. Linda held up her hands as if in surrender—and Duck bolted from his hiding spot.

  Hugging the wall behind the Voidlings, he stayed out of their field of vision and cut them down before they could turn. Linda threw a burst of purple light at them, crushing them to dust. Wolf motioned his team forward and they wove their way to join her. He gave an appreciate nod as he passed Linda. Her eyes twinkled in return.