by Alane Adams
Keely held it up in her fist. “I call on Ymir, ancient guardian of this land, to defend us.” It took a moment. Then a streak of ice blazed across the sky and hit the ground at their feet, sending dirt and mud spraying. A furred white beast as large as a school bus shook itself free of the clinging mud.
“Holy cow!” Sam said in awe.
“It’s Auddie!” Keely cried, grabbing Sam’s arm and jumping up and down with excitement. “She’s Ymir’s guardian.”
The beast stalked forward on a crazy set of eight legs, long sabretooths drawn as she faced Catriona. Sam was beginning to like the odds.
As the Safyre Omera passed overhead, ready to incinerate them, Auddie belched, sending a blast of frozen snow across the arena. The ice cloud put out the Safyre’s blaze, leaving only a black spit of smoke.
Catriona shrieked in frustration and launched herself into a thin red streak, zinging up to the ancient Omera. She appeared on its back and urged it forward for another pass.
Auddie buried her head as she pawed the dirt.
“Uh, Keely, is she going to do anything?” Sam asked.
“I hope so.”
They waited as Catriona bore down on them. Everything burned in the Safyre’s path, until Catriona was nearly on them.
The white creature didn’t move. They were going to be incinerated.
“Run!” Sam shouted.
“No, wait.” Keely ran and leaped on Auddie’s back.
“Oh, great!” Sam muttered. Since when had Keely turned into such a fearless warrior? He followed her, leaping on behind her. “I hope you know what you’re doing!” He grabbed a fistful of fur as she urged the beast on.
“Come on, Auddie. You can do this.”
Auddie bleated and shuffled forward on her eight legs, moving like a freight train, heading straight for the oncoming creature.
As the fire was about to hit Auddie and cremate them all, Auddie let out a mighty burp. A frigid cloud billowed out of her mouth, enveloping the blazing fire. Catriona was forced to leap from the back of the giant Omera, which was unable to stop before it entered the icy cloud. The creature instantly turned gray, dropping from the sky like a rock to crash into the ground, shattering into pieces. Catriona rolled across the muddied paving stones, screaming in outrage at the destruction of her fire-breathing pet.
Sam leaped off Auddie’s back, looking up at Keely. “Wait here. This is my fight.” He caught sight of his mother across the square. She nodded at him, giving him the encouragement he needed to face his biggest enemy. “We are finished,” he said to Catriona.
The witch swayed a bit, but she was still powerful. She used both hands to unleash her destructive magic at him. “No,” she cried, “you need me.”
Sam was done doubting himself. He held up his hand and simply stopped her, pushing her magic back at her so that she sniveled in pain.
“I made you who you are,” Catriona wailed.
He pushed harder, sending a blast wave at her that knocked her off her feet and into the dirt.
“No. My parents did that. I am Sam Baron. Son of Robert and Abigail Barconian.” Sam’s mother came over to his side, standing shoulder to shoulder with him. He turned and smiled at her. She handed him his father’s pouch, and he almost laughed aloud with joy as he gripped it.
Catriona crawled forward, pointing a finger at him. “But you share the blood of Rubicus. You are one of us.”
“I will never be like you,” he said, letting the last trace of his rage wash away like the tide receding from the shore. “You put me in a prison. And now I intend to return the favor.”
Sam closed his eyes and thought of the black hole he had been locked in. He swung the pouch holding Odin’s Stone over his head. He thought of the darkness as he muttered the words that flowed through him. His mother’s hand rested on his shoulder, giving him courage. He created a vortex that spiraled and spun behind Catriona, slowly drawing her backward. She clawed at the earth, trying to stop herself from being sucked into it.
Sam pushed harder. He saw the stone walls of his prison. The dark airless atmosphere. The dripping water. He imagined his poisonous companions waiting for her. He imagined it all as he pushed her through and then let go, collapsing with exhaustion as the black void spun and whistled and then disappeared with a snap.
When it did, Catriona was gone.
Chapter Forty-Four
Sam gasped and nearly collapsed. If it hadn’t been for his mother’s arms squeezing him tight, he probably would have fainted right there.
“Mom!” He wrapped his arms around her. “Are you really here?”
“I’m really here, Sam.” She held him away from her. “Look at you. I swear you’ve grown two sizes.”
He grinned. “I’ve missed you, too.”
“I told you I would find a way to you.” She swept him in close, pressing him tight to her chest.
They stood there like that for a long moment, but there was no time for a reunion.
Leo whistled from the ramparts. “We’ve still got a problem up here.”
Keely and Mavery joined as they climbed the stairs. Sam’s body was aching and bruised, but Keely had somehow managed to heal his leg enough so he could limp along. Leo and Howie stood next to Sam’s buddies, Speria, Heppner, and Galatin. The men each greeted him with a hearty slap on the back, jolting his bruised ribs, before returning to stare glumly out over the black sea of Balfins that spread out below them. The monstrous army chanted and stomped the ground as they prepared a new battering ram for the front gate.
The war was not over yet.
The last Volgrim witch, Vena, rode tall among them, cracking her whip over their backs as she urged them on. One of her generals, a Balfin with a tall silver helmet, rode at her side, bellowing at his fellow ape-men.
Twelve hundred Eifalian archers lined the walls, firing tirelessly at the horde below, keeping them back from the barrier. But there were only so many arrows, and there were too many of the ape-men to count.
Gael stood by a young Eifalian boy, his hand on the boy’s shoulder. Gael’s aquamarine eyes looked Sam over closely, and then, for once, they warmed. He nodded at Sam. “It is good to see you are back, Samuel Barconian. My nephew, Theo.”
Sam stuck his hand out in a greeting. “Hey.”
Theo’s eyes glowered at him. His uncle squeezed his shoulder, and the boy begrudgingly shook his hand.
Captain Teren arrived out of breath. “Glad to see you came to your senses,” he said to Sam. “The gate still holds, thanks to Lady Abigail’s enchantments, but I don’t know for how long it will last.”
“What’s the plan?” Sam said, rubbing his hands together. “I say we go out there and take the fight to them.”
“We don’t have enough swords to fight that lot,” Speria said dourly.
“Yeah, what we need is a miracle,” Heppner said.
“I could blow the Horn of Gjall. It worked last time,” Howie said eagerly.
Teren nodded his approval. But when Howie put the horn to his lips, no sound came out. He tried again, blowing so hard his face turned red, but not a sound escaped. “I guess it’s broken,” he said disappointedly. The horn vibrated in his hands like a jumping bean, and then a pair of bronze wings sprouted on either side of the horn. The wings began to flutter, and the horn rose in the air, hovering a moment before flying off into the sky.
They watched it go as if it carried their last hope with it.
“Look, what’s that out there?” Leo pointed.
A ball of dust rolled through the center of the black army. A tight pack of horses led by a redheaded dwarf.
Rego. And a small band of Falcory.
“Give them cover fire,” Gael ordered. “Drive those beasts back.” The archers began firing furiously on the massed group of Balfins pounding on the gates. They dropped their battering ram and scrambled for shelter.
Abigail and Sam did their best to spray witchfire at the Bal-fins chasing the band. One of the ape-men pulled a F
alcory from his horse, but the rest continued on.
Teren called down to his men. “Open the gates on my command.”
Abigail quickly removed her enchantment, a blue glow that surrounded the gate. At the last second, Teren called out, and the gate opened just wide enough for the small band to roll through; then it slammed shut again, and the gate began to glow blue. A pair of Balfins managed to break through, but they were quickly dispatched by what looked to Sam like a crowd of angry farmers.
Sam raced down to the square. He spied Beo slipping off his horse, favoring one leg. Next to him, a younger version of Beo had his arm in a sling.
But Sam only had eyes for his stalwart friend. “Rego, you’re alive!” Sam grasped him in a bear hug.
“No good way to kill a dwarf,” Rego muttered. “But they tried. Tiber and I were sucked into a cloud and thrown clear across the desert. A witch named Ariane tied us up and was about to turn us into stew when Beo’s son Jey came charging into the camp waving his javelin around.”
“Where is Tiber?” Sam asked, searching the few riders for a familiar face.
Before Rego could answer, they were attacked by a crazy bird. It was a baby iolar no bigger than a rooster. Rego started laughing. “Lingas. There you are, you pretty girl.” The bird settled on Rego’s arm and rubbed her head on his chest, cackling with what sounded like delight. Then Rego’s face grew grim. “Tiber didn’t make it. He died saving my life from a ball of witchfire that would have turned me into a pile of ash.”
Sam’s heart fell. Tiber had been a good friend. A stalwart soldier. Loyal to Orkney with every cell in his body. For a moment, Sam wished he could have prolonged Catriona’s suffering a bit longer before banishing her.
The dwarf looked around the nearly destroyed square. “Seems like you made quite a mess here.”
“Nothing I couldn’t handle,” Sam said, winking at Keely as she joined them.
She snorted. “No. He just about killed us all. But what else is new?”
“Dwarfmaster, you’re back!” Howie high-fived Rego. “I see Lingas is . . . uhm . . . happy to see you. That’s cool.” Howie shoved his hands in his pockets, looking like he had lost a friend, but he brightened when the bird hopped across and landed on his shoulder, fondly pecking at his ear.
Rego laughed. “I’d say she’s found herself a new owner.”
Teren marched up, a hopeful look in his eye. “What about the Falcory tribes?” Only four warriors accompanied Beo.
“We have three hundred warriors riding hard. Still a day away,” Beo said.
“In a day’s time, we’ll all be dead,” Teren said grimly.
“Where’s Leo?” Jey asked, his sharp eyes searching the crowd.
“I’m here.”
Jey turned at Leo’s voice, and the Falcory boy’s face lit up. They slapped each other so hard on the back, Sam was surprised they didn’t break any ribs. They broke into chatter about how they had both survived their ordeals, which seemed to involve a giant beast shaped like an iguanadillo and equal amounts of evil witches out to kill them.
Renewed pounding on the front gate brought them all back to the present. The Balfins were back to relentlessly ramming it.
Abigail wrung her hands. “My magic won’t hold against that much longer.”
Howie raised his hand. “I’ve got an idea. It might sound crazy, but I think we should open the gates.”
Everyone looked at him.
“I . . .” he flushed beet red. “You know, so they can run into our trap. Then, pow,” he punched one fist into his other palm, “we take them out. Meanwhile, we send out a hit squad and surprise attack from the side.” Lingas let out an approving squawk from his shoulder.
A sharp look of appreciation came into Teren’s eyes. “The boy has a sound idea. But how will we sneak out of the city? The walls are too thick.”
Mavery tugged on Sam. “You can do it, Sam. With your magic. Remember?”
The witchling was right. Sam had once opened a hole in the wall for them to escape the city.
Teren quickly organized them into squads. Half would stay inside the walls and battle the Balfin mutants who came in, and the other half would go out onto the battlefield and take them on.
There was no dissent. Their ragtag band gathered in the square, checking armor, fidgeting. Sam shed the armament of the Black Guard and put on his red Orkadian uniform. It felt oddly comforting to have his outside appearance match the inside.
Keely rubbed the snout of that strange creature, Auddie. “This is no fight for you, girl.” She sent her home with a kiss on the nose. Auddie flew up into the air in a white streak, disappearing from sight.
As Sam strapped on his armor, his mom appeared at his side. “I’m not letting you out there with those monsters,” she said fiercely.
Sam couldn’t remember the last time he had had someone to worry about him. He kissed her on the cheek, acting braver than he felt. “You know I have to go. For this to work, you’re needed here helping Gael. Trust me. I’ve got this.”
She hesitated and then cupped his face with her hand. “You’re just like your father. Don’t you dare do anything stupid. Stay with Rego.”
Perrin stood to one side, wringing her hands as if she wasn’t sure where she fit in.
Sam led his mom to her. “Mom, meet Perrin. She’s an amazing witch. She can help you.”
He beckoned Mavery over. “You, too, kiddo, they’ll need your magic.” Mavery’s eyes lit up with pride.
Abigail linked arms with the girls and led them away.
Sam joined Teren as he stood before the men. Teren raised his sword over his head. “For Tiber, and all whom we have lost in this war!” he shouted.
Sam raised his sword. Keely held up an Eifalian bow. It was tall as she was and strung tight. A quiver of arrows hung over her shoulder. He hadn’t quite gotten used to her silver white hair, but he liked this fiercer side of her. The girl who had once kept her nose in a book was long gone. And then it was time to go.
“Be safe,” he said.
She smiled. “Ditto.” She threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. “I believe in you,” she whispered, then stepped back.
Leo hugged Sam tight, then took Keely by the elbow and led her away. Leo’s eyes were haunted, like he had seen unspeakable things. Sam wished there was time to talk things over.
“Come on, compadres,” Howie said, clasping the golden sword. “We’ve got some ape-men to put down.” Howie had locked his sidekick iolar in her cage to keep her safe.
Selina flung her arms around Howie, kissing him soundly on the cheek. “Watch your back, Howie. I wish I could go with you, but these farmers can’t hold a sword on their own.”
Howie turned beet red. Sam rolled his eyes, yanking Howie out of his daze to hurry after Rego and Captain Teren. There were two dozen soldiers with them, including Heppner and Speria. That, and Howie’s golden sword. It wasn’t much, but it would have to do.
They moved quickly down the deserted streets. Not even a stray dog loitered in the alleys. Every shop window was boarded up. Captain Teren had ordered those unable to fight to take refuge in the Great Hall, sending them down into the underground caverns that ran beneath it. They moved into the lower part of town where the air was danker and the smell of sewage filled the air. Sam turned down a familiar alley that dead-ended at the exterior wall.
“This the place?” Rego asked, looking skeptically at the stone wall.
Sam ran his hands over it, feeling the rough stone. It felt pretty solid. How had he done it last time? He grasped his father’s pouch, searching for confidence. He swung the pouch over his head and called, “Fein kinter, terminus.”
There was a swirl of wind. Sam swung harder, holding one hand up and pushing, feeling the magical force leave his body and travel through space to the wall. He imagined the stones rearranging themselves, imagined them disappearing. The stone began to blur, like someone had smeared the surface. It was working. He pushed harder, and a
gaping black hole opened up.
Howie high-fived him. “Dude, that is so righteous!” He dove through the hole headfirst.
The rest of the men climbed through, gathering close against the outside wall. The Balfins were preoccupied with the gate. Keely had a spyglass on them from the rampart. When Sam gave the signal, Galatin would open the gate, letting half the Balfin army inside the city. The ragtag army of farmers were hunkered around the square, with Leo, Jey, and the Falcory in position above with Gael’s archers. Once they closed the gate, Sam’s squad would attack their flanks.
They didn’t stand much chance of winning, but they were planning to do a lot of damage before the war was over.
Even though Keely was used to magic by now, she was still amazed by the black hole that appeared in the wall. She waited for Sam’s signal, crouched down next to Leo. On her other side, Jey kneeled so close she could feel his breath on her neck. The Falcory seemed determined to get her attention, helping her up the steps and offering to shield her if any arrows came. If things weren’t so serious, she would find his attentiveness amusing. Especially because it got a rise out of Leo.
Picking Leo up off of Pantros had been the high point of this whole experience. The joy of seeing him standing on the shore, waving his arms as they rowed toward him.
Keely had clasped him in her arms, but something had been missing. A part of him lost. She didn’t know what it was, but he wasn’t quite himself. Not yet.
She tensed. There. Sam had waved a red handkerchief. Keely gave a thumbs-up to Sam’s mom, who waited by the gate. Abigail made a cutting motion with her hands, removing the blue aura that protected the barrier. Galatin threw the lever on the pulley that held the gate closed. The chains shot sparks as it rose up with a crash, and a teeming mass of Balfins charged in.
The ape-men poured into the center of the square, looking around in confusion as they found it empty. Once the square filled, Galatin gave a sharp whistle, and the gate came crashing back down, sealing the rest of the Balfins out.
On cue, the Eifalian archers popped up under Gael’s command and began firing on the armored beast-men. Keely and Leo joined in, firing furiously. Even Theo had a bow, firing arrows by his uncle’s side. Jey’s injured shoulder made him unable to hold a weapon, but he fed them an endless supply of arrows. Keely’s arm ached as she nocked arrow after arrow, steadily drawing a bead on the mass of creatures below. She couldn’t think of them as people, only monsters that wanted to kill them.
