by Devon Vesper
“Sir!”
“Let’s move out.”
They surged through the false wall, and Valis could almost feel his team look up as the cavern expanded outward and upward, filled with the white edifice of the enemy monastery. Valis cast a glance up, too, needing to see it with his own eyes, quickly taking in the spires and the central tower that housed the temple.
He lowered his eyes as he jogged, keeping his attention forward as he led his team toward the hidden side entrance that would lead them to an entrance only four floors above the prison. Valis only hoped getting down there was easy. They needed a break in killing to get their minds back in the game before they reached the temple, where he felt the Sovereign Priest of Qos awaited them.
They made it to the door, and as Valis went to open it, he took a deep breath and grabbed the padlock. When it didn’t automatically open, Valis drew his sword and, suffusing it with his magic to keep the blade from being damaged, he swung hard. The padlock knocked hard against the door, jerking open.
Valis removed it and pressed his ear to the door. He’d made a good bit of racket, and hopefully, that didn’t come around to haunt them.
When he heard nothing, Valis removed the lock and swung open the latch. He grabbed the door handle, and with his heart in his throat, he eased the door open.
It’s hinges squealed loudly in protest, and Valis winced. “Fuck.”
When it cleared the entry, Valis saw five men running toward them. They all had swords at the ready, but none of them had shields up. Valis held out his left hand, and with his black magic, he created tendrils that he wrapped about their ankles. They shouted as he jerked them closer. Thuds sounded as their heads bounced off the hard stone floor.
He advanced, and when he reached them, Valis bent down and broke their necks in quick succession.
“Why didn’t you just slice their throats,” Tavros asked. “It would have been quicker.”
“Because I don’t want bloody footprints for them to track,” Valis replied. He headed down the hall, Tavros at his side. Taking the first set of stairs, Valis set guards at the bottom, invisibility and soundproofing shields in place, so they could warn of any coming down behind them.
“Do not engage,” Valis ordered. “Just let us know, so we’re prepared. I’ll hear you.”
“Sir!”
They entered into a hallway of offices, or at least that’s what they would be in Avristin—offices for the different duties with the last being reserved for the duty captain as it held the gate into the prison.
Valis nodded ahead. “Spread out. Clear these rooms. Tavros and I will take the duty captain’s office. Rendezvous there.”
“Sir!”
He glanced over at Tavros as their men and women fanned out to each office, invisible and on silent feet. That left two rooms at the end of the hall, and Valis led the way. The first room, Valis glanced in and frowned. He did a quick headcount and backed up. “Thirty.”
“Thirty people in the prison hall?” Tavros glanced back at where the others were dispatching their quarry. Shouts arose, catching the attention of the thirty in the room Valis and Tavros stood outside of. They called out, but there were no others to answer their call on this floor.
“They’re invisible,” someone screamed. “Clear them out!”
Someone else shot a concussive blast so powerful that Valis and Tavros were both caught off guard and went flying down the hall, landing on the Aesriphos behind them.
The untouched assassins surged forward. They had remained protected from the blast by staying behind the wall of Aesriphos. Even with their shields down, they were a deadly force, dodging magical blasts and sword strikes and landing killing blows by ducking under their guard and getting into their personal spaces.
Valis looked again and saw blood spraying, some from the assassins, most from the Qos adherents.
He struggled to his feet, quickly helping Tavros up. He threw a quick shield over the rest of his allies as he helped up those he and Tavros had landed on. “Get in there and help the assassins.”
“Sir!”
It only took Valis a moment to regain his senses. When he did, Valis turned around and joined the fray. Seconds later, the enemy all lay dead or dying, most bleeding out. Valis looked down and sighed. So much for not tracking blood everywhere. Hopefully, they could avoid the blood pool on their way back up. He was sure they would lose their tracks by the time they finished clearing out the prison.
“You look so disgusted,” Tavros commented. “Like a cat who stepped in shit.”
Valis chuckled as he headed for the duty captain’s office. “Tracking blood, love. Easiest way to find us.”
“Mmm.”
Just as they opened the door to the duty captain’s office, a concussive blast sent Valis sprawling. Tavros tossed up a shield over the doorway and stood in front of Valis. Shyvus helped Valis to stand and held onto him as he regained his head. “You really need to start clearing the doorways before you open them. Let them blast empty air, then head into the room and start killing.”
“Good idea,” Valis said weakly. He took a moment as everyone else went into battle. Once he healed the back of his head and the kink in his neck, he rushed in just in time to catch two guards in the neck with hard punches. They fell back into the hall that led to the prison, both clutching their throats. Valis dispatched them easily and looked up just as more sets of boots pounded up the hallway.
“Get them!” one of them called. “Don’t let them escape!”
Valis raised his brow. Why would they want to escape? He needed in that prison.
The tails of their blood-red tabards billowed behind them as they ran. Hard eyes tracked the movements of Valis and his team, calculating and wary. Valis raised his right hand and sent off a volley of mage bolts. Once their shields dropped, he sent out the stasis spell. They all dropped to the floor like puppets whose strings had been cut. And not one to waste anything, Valis drained the mages of their magic before sending a tendril of black magic to stop all their hearts in one blast.
He stepped over them and nodded forward. “Advance.”
“You had too much fun with that,” Tavros muttered.
“None of this is fun,” Valis said seriously. “I just want to get Father to safety, kill the Sovereign Priest of Qos, get the god jar, and go home.”
“That’s all any of us wants, lad,” Shyvus said from behind him.
“We finish this today,” Valis growled. “I won’t settle for anything less.”
After killing their way through the prison, checking each cell, and finding only dead bodies, Valis’s stomach ached in a way he didn’t like. Darolen had to still be alive. He had to.
“Valis…” Phalin said gently. “You—”
“He’s still alive, goddamnit,” Valis hissed. “You can’t make me believe otherwise.”
They used their stolen keys to open another cell, and Valis’s stomach dropped, but for a whole new reason. He rushed inside as he saw Darolen’s face, his eyes closed in sleep.
Valis dropped to his knees next to the cot and touched his father’s face. “Father. Wake up.”
Darolen cringed back and opened his eyes. When he saw Valis, he broke down in tears. “Valis?”
“It’s me, Father. I promise it is.”
“I’m not… I’m—”
“You’re not dreaming. We’re getting you out of here.” He smiled and kissed Darolen’s forehead. “I told you we would come.”
Tavros spoke up from behind Valis. “Clear the rest of the prison and the dungeon below. Leave no Qos adherent alive, and if there are any others who need rescued, someone translocate them to camp. Go. Rendezvous at the common room across from the duty captain’s office.”
“SIR!”
“Tav—”
“No, Valis. You and I are going to take Darolen back to camp and get him settled.”
Valis couldn’t say no to that. He wrapped Darolen up in the sheets and blanket that he lay tangle
d in. Once he had his father secured against his chest and bundled as warm as he could be, Valis looked at Tavros. His husband touched Valis’s shoulder, and Valis phased them out.
They arrived at camp, startling Aryn. He glanced back and gasped. “You found him!”
Valis nodded and rushed Darolen to the nearest fire as Tavros darted to their tent. “Where are you going?”
Tavros didn’t answer, but soon after, he ran back up with a bottle and dosing glass. Valis recognized them from when Tavros had been so very ill. He poured out a dose and brushed Darolen’s cheek so gently that Valis’s heart ached.
“Come on, Darolen,” Tavros murmured. “I have some medicine for you. It’s gross, but it’ll help.”
Darolen turned his face toward Tavros and opened his mouth obediently. Valis sat him up a little farther and tucked the blanket around him more securely as his husband helped Darolen drink down the medicine.
“Get him some clothes?” Valis asked. “He needs something warmer than this blanket.”
Aenali rushed over with a quiet squeal. “You found him! I knew you would!” She leaned in and kissed Darolen’s cheek. “Kerac misses you so much!”
“I miss him, too,” Darolen rasped.
“You’ll see him soon,” Aenali promised.
She looked at Valis with her big green doe eyes and her curly auburn hair ruffling in the gentle spring breeze. “I’ll take Darolen back to Avristin and get him to Firil.”
Aenali rested a hand on Darolen’s face, almost motherly in her touch, and gave Valis a bright smile. “I’ll be back as soon as I’m done.”
While Valis didn’t want to let Darolen out of his sight, he knew better than to block Aenali from taking him to get better care. “You’re sure you can do that?”
Aryn turned around and smirked. “She’s very adept at taking passengers during translocation. Thyran made her practice extensively in private. Trust her, Valis.”
Nodding, Valis looked up at Tavros. “Get the herb list for that medication, so Firil knows what we gave him.”
Tavros ran off, and when he returned, he had a sheet of parchment and handed it to Aenali. “It has the herbs list and instructions on how to make it. Make sure you don’t lose it.”
“Promise,” Aenali said solemnly.
She took it and folded it up, tucking it into the blanket that surrounded Darolen, tucked the bottle of medicine and dosing glass into her pockets, and motioned to the ground. “Put him down so when we translocate, he doesn’t hit his head or get hurt when we phase to stone floors. I’ll be translocating him directly into the healing ward, but I don’t want to chance missing a bed.”
“Yeah,” Valis said on a long breath. “I don’t want you chancing that either.”
He laid Darolen on the ground and bent to look Darolen in his tired eyes. “I’ll see you soon.”
“You’d better,” Darolen whispered. “You’d damned well better.”
Chapter Seventeen
With Darolen safe in the monastery and Aenali returned to the camp with Aryn, Valis phased with Tavros back to the prison level’s common room. When they made it just outside the room, Valis entered to find only a few of their men and women had made it back.
“Report. Where is everyone else?” Valis asked.
Cassavin rolled her shoulders. “We split the levels. Nevesar and I, as well as those with us, cleared the first three floors. Others are standing guard on each level we cleared. Everyone will meet back here when their floors are cleared.”
Valis nodded. “Good.”
In the next half an hour, Valis turned to Shyvus as he came in, his armor coated in coagulating blood. “Shy, head out with a team to the stronghold and report on their progress. If they are relatively done and only dealing with stragglers, phase back here into the hallway with as many as the battlefront can spare. We may need their numbers.”
“Sir!”
Shyvus grabbed his husband, Phalin, and phased out of the room. Valis glanced around and nodded. “The rest of you relax for a moment. We will be heading up through the monastery soon enough.”
Everyone sagged and took seats where they could. Quiet murmurs arose, and Valis touched the wall to put a soundproofing shield around the entire room so they could keep the element of surprise. An hour later, Shyvus returned with their men and women. Groaning, Valis shoved himself to his feet and helped Tavros up. The sound in the hall had Valis pausing. When he made it out of the room, he perked a brow. Well over half the army stood, milling around, filling the hall to the brim. It seriously impressed Valis. It took skill to phase that many people without sticking some into walls, the floor, or losing them completely. Valis knew that from when he had to break up a battle between Aryn and Tavros when Aryn had gone mad. Valis had phased to the other side of a magic barrier, and the back of his tunic was sliced off because he phased too close. The barrier had cut it off with ease, letting the material flutter to the ground on the opposite side.
Shaking off his surprise, Valis raised his voice just enough to allow everyone in his army to hear. “Did you leave anyone to protect the camp?”
“Yes,” Shyvus said. “Those not with us are protecting Aryn and Aenali, our horses, and the camp. They all withdrew from the stronghold. Aryn is keeping the projected scry to fool any who might look that way.” He shrugged. “It won’t keep them away indefinitely, but it will keep the element of surprise until someone tries to kill an illusion.”
“Good job.” Valis rubbed his neck, trying to ease the tension that had started building up. “Now, I want us to split up. There are four halls on each floor, just like there is in Avristin. I want a team for each hall. We’ll at the end of the hall of each floor, head to the stairs as a group, and advance up systematically.”
He frowned as he looked around. “This means I won’t be able to shield you all. I—”
“We are capable,” Shyvus said. “Please trust in us. Our shields may not be as strong as yours, but we have been fighting against Qos adherents for a very, very long time.”
Valis nodded. “Very well.”
Taking a deep breath, Valis called, “Seza, Zhasina, Maphias, and Jedai are on my team. The rest of you split up evenly, and let’s go.”
As they split up, Valis led the march through the corridors that led away from the prison. He took the stairs to what would have been the formal meeting hall with the greeting chambers where dignitaries and other men and women of import would come to see their children or other family members or meet with priests to discuss tithes and gifts to the monastery, or weddings and other religious ceremonies. Here, though, it seemed to be a weapons floor. Looking into each of the rooms, each one held a different type of weapon.
Valis wrinkled his nose. It would be stupid to allow these to be used against them. With a deep breath, Valis spread his magic out, and with a thought, he set the pyre spell on all of the weapons throughout all of the rooms. He added parameters to not destroy the building, and to filter out the smoke so it wouldn’t warn those in the upper floors.
When he was done, he glanced around and motioned forward. “Just don’t touch anything burning.”
Nervous chuckles rose behind him, and Valis spared a smirk. He knew better than to leave the enemy with weapons. He just wished he had another way to do it without frightening his army.
They cleared the meet and greet floor. Up the stairs, they gathered in the huge antechamber on the first dorm floor. Valis dispatched two guards as they came clattering down the stairs without shields like the idiots they were. Then he advanced and looked around. “Clear. Assemble.”
Once everyone made it up, they split into teams. Shyvus and Phalin took their team to the far right. Valis sent Brogan and Rylas down the far left. Cassavin and Nevesar took the right middle, and Valis and his team took the left middle.
“I can only imagine we killed most of the monastery’s population,” Tavros said quietly as he and Valis checked rooms. They had spread out, and teams took sides, opening doors an
d killing any who might be present. “Are their forces so thin?”
Valis shrugged. “With as many pockets as we broke down, they are probably missing ranks that are spread throughout the continent. The countries in Peralea could house more than this monastery, but they would need dorms for them to stay if they are ever on rotation.”
Tavros shrugged and swung his sword as someone surged through the door in front of him. The man’s head flew off back into the room, and Valis stepped over the body after his husband.
They headed up four floors, each team meeting before the stairs to the next level. Valis frowned when he noticed faces missing from each team. It tore at his heart, but he pushed the sorrow aside and compartmentalized it. If he didn’t, he’d be useless for the rest of this mission. No one could afford that.
As they made it up to the floor that housed the arena—the fifth floor—Valis cast the invisibility shield over himself and looked in, finding it empty. That did and didn’t bode well, but Valis put it to the back of his mind and nodded to the entryway. “Two guards. Invisibility shields. Be careful.”
Two Aesriphos broke rank, and the moment they took up their posts, they dropped their shields in place. Valis nodded and headed down his hall. “Rendezvous at the dining hall upstairs.”
The dining hall was almost full when Valis looked. He glanced back and dragged a hand down his face and shielded the entire army. “They haven’t heard us yet,” he said into the soundproofed shield. “The dining hall is full. I’ll leave the shields around you, keeping you invisible until we’re all in place. Then I’ll drop the shield, and we strike at once. Are we clear? No one dies in this room.”
“Sir!”
Nodding, Valis headed in. “Be careful.”
Getting in place was hard with people constantly moving around. Someone bumped into a shield and looked around. He looked shocked that there wasn’t a table around. He swung his hand out to try and find what he bumped into, but the Aesriphos he ran into moved out of his reach.
“What are you doing, Gronach?” one of the Qos adherents called.
