by Ben Hale
That woman is too distracting. He clicked the radio. "Eleven shadows down," he reported to Tabletop, and then turned to Iris.
"What do we have?"
Iris stood in front of the barrier, her expression focused. "Two mages behind the barrier, and another pair down the hall. It looks like most of the Voidlings were out here."
Wolf tapped his gun. "We know how to handle men."
He motioned his team into position on either side of the barrier and then took point on the right. Sheathing the sword, Duck took point on the left. The sound of safeties coming off sounded loud in the stillness. Then Wolf nodded to Iris, who lapsed into mutterings to her own army.
A tense calm settled on Wolf. He might not have known what they were about to step into—or what the enemy was going to attack him with—but he knew how to assault an enemy position. Like a lock clicking into place, he pushed all the thoughts of magic from his mind.
This is a mission like any other. His eyes met Linda's. Or close enough.
"Here we go," Iris said in a rising tone, and the door opened.
Gunfire erupted as the SEALs opened fire, and the two Harbingers at the door went down. Before their bodies could strike the floor, the SEALS advanced with lethal proficiency. Like a well oiled machine, they swept into the complex with astonishing speed, leaving bodies in their wake.
Mentally prepared for the wind lift, the SEALs reached the enormous spiraling cyclone and the two team snipers leapt to the front. Massive and cylindrical, the shaft held a slow-moving corkscrew of semi-solid vapor. Three pairs of patrolling Harbingers stood on the lift, rotating with it.
Six shots later the sentries on the lift lay dead. As one, the team leapt into motion once more. Peterson and his partner paused at the first level long enough to plant a block of C4. A moment later they did the same with the former Rayth office. Then they descended to the third level, the Shield of Auroraq headquarters. Iris took the lead as they stepped onto the third floor alcove and set to work opening the wide, ornate doors.
The sheer speed of their assault had left no room for retaliation, and yet Wolf felt a nagging worry. Even with surprise and tactics on their side, it should not have been this easy. He'd expected to advance under fire from a powerful enemy, not take down the city shroud without losing a man . . .
Abruptly Iris spoke a word he was unfamiliar with—but her tone made it sound like an expletive.
"Iris!" Linda exclaimed in surprise. "How can you . . ."
Wolf spun to look at her, but her gaze was directed upward. The look of resignation answered his unspoken question. A heartbeat later a swell of sound indicated the arrival of hundreds of soldiers at the top and bottom of the lift. Energy and magic sparkled in their hands as the Harbingers gazed down upon the trapped SEAL team. The Voidlings in their ranks swelled with anger, preparing their own power.
An instant later a wave of lethal energy streaked toward them.
Chapter 41: A Trap Closed
"We're pinned down!" Wolf bellowed, but his voice dissolved into static.
Breaker cringed, but there was nothing he could do. Northpoint had dispatched reinforcements to Tryton's and the Spirus. The Harbinger army raced through the black gate and triggered the traps the resistance had laid. Currents of flame, sound, and blasts of wind forced them back. Surprised and injured, the Harbingers retreated. Voidlings took their place. Undeterred by enchanted traps, they accelerated towards Breaker's force.
Ritsu and the two others with anti-Dark swords leapt forward to engage them. Her red sword swept through the Voidlings with lethal precision. Dodging their smoky hands, she cut them down with clinical blows. One by one they shriveled up and were put down by gunfire and mage attacks. When the last had died Ritsu and her companions retreated to the trees.
The Harbingers howled in fury as they witnessed the death of the vaunted Voidlings. Then they exploded from the opening at the center of the wall. Golems, treewalkers, and fire entities led the way. Issuing a ground shaking roar, they charged the tree line.
Mage traps and auren explosives went off in unison, and the first of the Harbinger ranks were shredded. One of the treewalkers caught fire and slammed into two of the golems on the way down. The shattering of rock echoed over the battlefield. Then Breaker's force sent in their own entities.
The giant trees of Sentre uprooted themselves and advanced. Humanoid shapes of earth climbed out of the ground, and formed a line. Amidst the thundering roar of the SEAL weapons, the magical creatures collided. Controlled by their creators, they grappled like titanic wrestlers.
A grenade went off, sending sizzling shrapnel into the Harbinger line. A second later the mortars fell, blasting a line of craters around the Northpoint barricade. None made a dent on its surface, but the attack decimated the Harbingers. Without the Voidling's power negated their hasty assault fell apart, and someone ordered a retreat.
Harbingers withdrew back into Northpoint and their creatures limped behind them. In seconds the battlefield had cleared of combatants. Breaker ordered an immediate casualty count, and was surprised to find that only seven of them had been wounded. His sense of unease returned fourfold.
Uri was babbling beside him. "Monitoring motes are going down across the city. It looks like the threads are being cut with a severian hex—yes I know, that's never been used on this scale, but I can't see anything. No, I can't reach Iris—are you serious? That can't be possible . . ."
Breaker had no reason to believe it, but his instincts screamed at him to watch his back. His skin crawled like an adversary hung above him with a knife. Giving in, Breaker issued a barking order.
"Shift the line to cover the rear flank." He grabbed Uri by his shirt and forced him to look at him. "Inform Tabletop they knew we were coming. We're about to be assaulted from both sides. We'll hold out as long as we can."
"But—"
"Do it now!" Breaker shouted in his face.
Breaker spun to Freezer, but the SEAL had heard. He was already redirecting his men to cover their rear flank. Half of the SEALs and the mages flipped to face Sentre. Hearing the urgency in Breaker's voice, they obeyed the order even without a threat in that direction. Mere seconds after they dug in, the Harbingers closed their trap.
The gigantic trees of Sentre snapped at their base and crashed toward them. Plant mages were quick to deflect them aside, but the opening revealed a mass of Harbingers gathered behind them. The stillness lasted an eternal second, and then the Harbingers surged at them from both sides.
Outnumbered and outmatched, Breaker fought with a fury born of desperation. Energies exploded around him, and he called up walls of stone to shield his men. Feral entities darted through the cascade and lanced into the resistance ranks, only to be put down by auren firepower.
Assaulted on every side, Breaker knew the truth. Alice had prepared for their arrival. Rage filled him, and he refused to go down. All around him Rayths and displaced battlemages fought their former friends, splattering the ground with blood. Rallied by their Prime, they fought like caged reavers.
Then Varson appeared.
***
"Tabletop, we're pinned down in the entrance!" Iris's voice came over the sounds of gunfire and the explosions of combat. "Watch out for the searing hex—" her scream faded to static.
Tess cringed at the strain in her voice. She wished she could join her friend, to fight beside her. Seeming to sense her desire, Hawk placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Trust in your friend. The others have drawn Alice's forces out of the Spirus. We must find Alice or the Sword of Elseerian. That is how this ends."
Tess swallowed her emotions and nodded. While Iris and Wolf assaulted the techno mage office they were coming from above. Under the cover of shrouding spells they had flown a thousand feet above the Spirus. Iris's words came as dawn broke.
Light spilled across the horizon, bathing the city. Floating above the Dark, Auroraq was an island in a sea of night. Far below, Breaker's battle resolved into startl
ing clarity. Downed trees and torn ground marred the threshold to Northpoint. Energy exploded into both sides as the Harbingers attempted to snuff the battlemage resistance. Furious and brutal, the battle left no chance to retrieve the dead.
Then Tess's attention was drawn to the skies. In the distance a line of objects became visible, and in seconds they resolved themselves into a fleet of planes. A rising roar swept the city as they closed the distance, and a moment later they split around Auroraq in distinct formations. They could not enter until the techno shroud was down.
Come on, Iris, Tess thought to her. There was no reply.
The planes’ presence elicited another response. From the depths of the Dark a swarm of gigantic bats exploded into view. Issuing a horrendous screech, they converged on the faster moving jets. Smaller and slower than the auren planes, the bats outnumbered the planes by a hundred to one.
Incoming missiles exploded in the swarm, killing droves as the jets roared past. One bat managed to graze a plane as it streaked by. Its claw tore a ragged line across the fuselage, and the plane began to spin. Tumbling out of control, it erupted into a ball of fire as it passed through the techno shroud and struck Sentre. By then the bat swarm had spread out, and the air grew thick with fire, shrapnel, and the screeching bats.
Tess swallowed, and knew it would not end until they broke the Sword of Elseerian.
"It's time," Hawk said.
She nodded, and they dropped from the sky. They landed on the very spot Hawk had blasted through a few weeks ago. Clenching his hand, he sent a current of fire into the repaired stone at the top of the Spirus. Cracks glowed as fire melted the rock. Feeling a sense of urgency, she hurried to disarm the enchantments that had been placed upon it. Explosions, screams, and shrieks became a cacophony of battle that engulfed the city.
After what felt like an eternity they breached the summit and dropped into the council chamber. Silence greeted them. With fire burning across her body, Tess scanned the darkened space, her nerves raw.
"Where is she?" she asked.
"We have to find her," he replied and turned toward the lifts.
A trio of Voidlings whirled to face them. Hawk drew the short sword on his back. He darted in, and skillfully put the first two down. She followed up with a burst of concentrated fire, ending them for good. He shredded the last and left it as dust in his wake.
"Is the Sword of Elseerian on this level?" Hawk asked as he sheathed the red sword.
Tess scanned the highest floor of the Spirus, but saw no sign of Alice or the sword they sought. She shook her head.
"Then we search every floor," Hawk said, and darted to the gravity lift.
Tess swallowed her anxiety and followed him. Every second that passed lives were being lost.
Where was Alice?
Chapter 42: A Fallen Friend
"Get that door open!" Wolf roared.
Iris didn't answer. Her expression was a mask of determination as she focused. Wolf could only hope she did it in time. Of the ten SEALs, three had died in the first wave. Valiant to the last breath, they had fallen in the face of massive blasts of power. Their sacrifice had given the team precious seconds.
He fired at the ranks of Harbingers, furious at himself for not seeing the trap earlier. Their entry had been too easy. No op ever went that smooth, especially against such an enemy. Cursing himself, he unleashed the full mag in controlled bursts. Most of his bullets bounced away. Marked by the hundreds of sparks across an invisible shield, they were knocked aside as the Harbingers advanced. A handful of bullets made it through, and they struck home. Harbinger blood darkened the white lift.
He aimed below the corkscrew level and triggered the 40mm grenade launcher attached to his barrel. The shell detonated just under the solid smoke. Sizzling metal pierced the wind lift and bored through the ranks, eliciting cries of pain. The casualties were minimal, and Wolf knew there would be no escape unless Iris managed to get them inside the third level.
The doors to the third level abruptly slid open, revealing a large entryway. A trio of statues stood on a pedestal at the center of the room. Their upraised hands released a river of energy into the ceiling that extended to the walls. Silver threads lined the circumference of the room with bursts of energy flickering through them. Sparkling and cascading in distinct colors, they flowed across the walls like liquid stars. Wolf scanned it all in a single glance. The room was empty.
"Go!" he bellowed.
Gunfire echoed up the shaft as they retreated into the interior, granting them a momentary reprieve from the assault. Wolf barked orders for them to take up positions on either side of the opening. Risking their lives, Duck and his team remained outside until all the dead had been carried in. Then they pulled back. Linda sent a blast of power up and followed them through.
"There are too many!" she yelled.
"Hold them off!" Wolf shouted back.
The angle of assault was minimal, meaning the Harbingers were now advancing under fire from an entrenched enemy. Their magic made that possible. Golems and smaller entities darted into view and lunged. Linda blasted them off the ledge, and then managed to shield the opening.
"Grenade!" Wilson yelled. Linda opened a hole for his throw, and then reformed the shield. Wolf caught Iris and yanked her out of the way.
The explosion elicited screams and yells, and briefly slowed the assault. Wolf took the opportunity to reorganize their defense. Then he clicked his radio. There was no response. Before he could curse the equipment Iris yanked it from his hands. Purple sparks exploded from it as she screamed into it.
"Tabletop, we are pinned down in the entrance!" Then her eyes flicked over Wolf's arm and widened. "Watch out for the searing hex!"
A current of white fire slammed into Linda's shield like a sledgehammer, shattering it. Linda crumpled and flew backward, singed and smoking. Wolf leapt to her side and pulled her out of the line of fire.
"Can you complete the objective?" Jack asked Iris, his voice barely audible over the static. "If the shroud does not come down . . ."
"We're trying, sir!" Wolf yelled, and tossed another grenade into the entryway. Iris continued to yell over the gunfire.
"Pilot, veer off and circle the city. Remain one klick off or you will activate the shroud. Don't question who I am—we don't have time for this. Tabletop's communications are being interrupted—just give me a few minutes, Jack, I'm trying—Hammy, I swear, if you told them we were coming I'm going to cut your ports and leave you a vegetable—Yes, I'm trying to close this door before we are all killed . . ."
Wolf's mind went into overdrive, suppressing the well of rage. Their way in and out had been cut off. The coordinated attack spoke of planning. Somehow they had learned of the assault and had prepared for it. But why let them into the room? Surely they could have sealed it . . .
He spun to the rear of the room. If it was him, he would have allowed them inside and then assaulted from the rear. "Duck!" he yelled, "watch our backs!"
Duck and two others peeled off and moved to the rear doors—but they swung open and Voidlings poured out. Duck's team knelt and opened fire as he drew his sword, but they were too close—and it was too late. He killed two before the Voidlings flanked him. Then their smoky hands closed on his throat.
He screamed as darkness rose from his eyes and mouth, his skin fading like a shadow had been cast upon him. Then his body began to change and the Voidlings dropped him. Thickening and bunching, his muscles swelled, tearing his camouflage fatigues as he rose to his feet. Then he turned toward Wolf and the remaining SEALs.
Covered in black and green paint, his features were twisted and fearsome as he bellowed at them. His companions rose up beside him, equally Twisted. They added their thundering cry to his. Inhumanly fast, Duck dodged several of the shots and charged right through the statue. It shattered and sent bits of stone and sparks flying around the room.
"Hold your fire!" Wolf shouted. "Duck! You have to fight it!"
The Twisted
SEALs were only steps away, but Wolf couldn't bring himself to pull the trigger. "Duck!" he roared. "You're a SEAL!"
Duck and the others began to twitch, their pace slowing. A flicker of recognition appeared in Duck's eyes. His entire frame began to shake as Duck mentally warred with himself. For a brief second Wolf felt hope—then he saw that Duck's hand was inching towards a grenade on his vest. The spark of resignation in Duck's eyes confirmed it. Duck had slowed to a crawl, refusing to move by sheer force of will.
Swallowing his guilt, Wolf grabbed Iris and yanked her back. "Linda!" he bellowed. "Cast a shield!"
He clenched his eyes shut as if the act would erase what was about to happen. Refusing to stop, Duck's fingers crept upward . . . and pulled the pin on his grenade. The resulting blast engulfed the Twisted SEALs, and left them dead on the ground. As Linda's shield faded Wolf jumped to Duck's side.
"I'm sorry, my friend," Wolf whispered.
His heart aching, he rose to face the Voidlings. His team was down to just nine now and the anti-Dark blade was out of reach. Wolf took aim on the Voidlings but knew in his gut there was no hope. Before he could fire Iris helped Linda to her feet, and the two strode forward.
"What are you . . ." Wolf's mouth locked when Iris looked back.
Naked fury distorted her features and energy sparkled across her arms, igniting blue and white in her eyes. Then Iris and Linda raised their palms to each other, their joined magic swelling. The Voidlings began to advance.
But the sword had risen off the ground.
Static energy exploded across the blade and arced to the ceiling, issuing sparks into the Voidling ranks. Then the sword leapt into motion. Like an arrow from a bow it pierced a Voidling. Iris made a pulling gesture and it yanked free. Then she flicked her hand and it streaked into another.
Like a bolt of charged death the red sword flicked between the Voidlings, cutting them down before they could cross the room. Instinctually, Wolf finished the job, and in seconds half of them were dust on the floor. Ultimately the Voidlings began to flee. Iris and Linda did not let them.
