Light of Epertase 01: Legends Reborn

by Douglas R. Brown

  I’m sorry, Epertase.

  CHAPTER 68

  HAPPINESS IS DYING

  Rasi woke up in a lush theatre chair in the middle of the grandest concert hall he’d ever witnessed. The curtains were pulled aside revealing an old, rotted stage with a performance of some type upon it. He couldn’t make out the show for a blinding light shining from the rear. The show continued, blurred by the light, as though he wasn’t there. He looked around the theatre. It seemed odd to him that all of the other chairs were empty, that he was the lone audience member.

  He squinted toward the stage again. The blinding light dimmed, revealing the blur of a single dancing figure. He struggled to make out her features but could only see her dress.

  Her dress! Stunning red and familiar. She leaped into the air with amazing grace. As the light faded, he saw her long, dark hair. She spun toward him like an angel; he saw her face.

  For a moment, he felt sick to his stomach. This wasn’t possible. How could she be here? It had been many long, hard years since he’d last seen her, yet here she was as young and beautiful as the day they were married.

  Edonea?

  Her movements were breathtakingly flawless but her face displayed an infinite sadness. Rasi looked around for answers, but the hall was still empty. He felt her loneliness and wanted to cry.

  He needed to shout to her, tell her that he was coming, that he loved her and missed her, but he had no tongue.

  She turned toward him. Her eyes widened and she smiled. He felt like an adolescent again, in love for the first time. She gestured for him to join her. He wanted to, more than anything he wanted to, but something pulled at his back and held him down. He was tired of fighting. He was ready to be happy again. Maybe, he thought, death wasn’t so bad. I’m coming, my love. I’m co …

  BOOM!

  She looked at Rasi with fear in her eyes. With a gasp, she ran to the side of the stage. He reached for her but was too far away. She returned with a blanketed bundle.

  BOOM!

  The stage grew darker. She stared at him with incredible urgency, holding the bundle out as if to say “take him.” She peeled the blanket away. Rasi strained to see what she tried to show him. Her image started to fade away.

  No, wait! He squinted for a better view.

  The blanket held a baby.

  The blanket … held his son.

  Oh gods …

  BOOM!

  Though he didn’t see the explosions, he heard and felt them. Each blast made Edonea harder and harder to see as she disappeared with the stage, followed by the hall in its entirety. He was again alone on his back with nothing above him but the darkest night.

  Am I dead? The pain in his groin told him that he wasn’t. Cracks of the smoke-filled sky broke through as the Teks panicked and pulled from the pile.

  BOOM!

  He could breathe again. The knee pulled from his crotch; the elbow lifted from his neck. He could move his arm.

  He sat up. A Tek jumped onto his chest, pinning him back to the ground.

  “Locknei,” the Tek screamed. “Locknei.”

  The Tek raised Rasi’s sword into the air. Rasi pushed at his chest, but the Tek shifted his weight and Rasi’s hands slid off the slick, blood-covered armor.

  BOOM!

  A wave of heat seared Rasi’s chest, blasting the Tek from above him before he could strike. The tension on Rasi’s back lessened as the Teks holding the straps fled like they’d seen the angry gods. The straps sprung into the air like they’d been unleashed for the first time. Rasi rolled to his stomach and pushed to his feet.

  Dru stood ten horse-lengths away, surrounded by dead Teks. He wore a smirk next to a smoking, wheeled weapon and said, “They called it their ‘cannon,’ whatever that means.”

  Rasi nodded. Dru nodded back.

  Something glistened from across the ravine and caught Rasi’s eye. A shiny ball of metal launched into the air. He waved his hands frantically and pointed, but by the time Dru turned his head, he was too late.

  A pliable, metal net enveloped Dru, knocking him to the ground. The more he fought, the more entangled he became.

  Rasi raced toward the net. Another Tek intercepted him and they both tumbled to the dirt. Rasi grabbed an unclaimed sword. His straps grabbed the Tek’s helmet. One of the straps strained and ripped at the Tek’s helmet until it whistled and hissed and pulled free. Rasi swung his blade from his knees. The Tek gasped. And Rasi took his head.

  He looked to Dru, who kicked and thrashed as he was dragged toward the edge of the ravine.

  More nets shot into the air. Rasi was helpless as they captured other Epertasians, also dragging them toward the edge. He sprinted toward Dru, knowing he’d never get to him in time.

  Rasi stopped, searching for another way across the ravine. All hope for his captain seemed lost when a beautiful silver-tinted and blood-stained mare leaped from the battle. Its rider whirled her sword over her head like a pro as she raced toward the net.

  Alina, no!

  She dove from Allusia as the net disappeared over the edge. Rasi’s knees went weak. He shoved his sword into his empty sheath and raced to the drop off. To his relief, Alina dangled from the net as it was pulled along the opposite wall. Hang on, Alina.

  His first instinct was to use the chained ladders, but he had to be smarter than that. The enemy would release their ends if he tried to get across. His only hope was to cross the Tek-covered bridges, which he knew would take time he feared he didn’t have. But he had no choice.

  He ran toward the nearest bridge as another Tek cut him off. He didn’t slow. A strap poked between the enemy’s legs and hoisted him over the edge.

  Rasi crowded the ravine as he closed in on the bridge. The explosions began again. His earlier hopes were wrong – the Teks would indeed shoot at their own soldiers and that is what they did. Their missiles devastated pockets of warring fighters. The ground rocked as the explosions came closer and closer to him.

  He was near his target. With only a few horse-lengths left, his ears popped again. A blast of searing heat and dirt slammed into his side. Blood splattered across his face and stung his eyes. The impact launched him over the edge. He didn’t think as much about the fresh pain in his side or the burn in his eyes as he did the horrible creature that awaited him at the end of his descent.

  He jarred to a stop with a painful tug at his back. He wiped the blood from his eyes and peered over his shoulder. The bottom of the bridge rested above him as he hung by his straps, his wonderful straps. Plank after rickety plank, they swung like they were crossing a child’s monkey bars, faster and faster until he seemed to float to the other side.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Alina and Dru rise closer to the top of the ravine wall, hoisted by a line of Teks. Faster, he told himself and his straps. When he reached the opposite ravine wall, his straps lifted him up and over the edge.

  Once on solid ground, he stood amazed at the sight before him. The Teks were stripping their armor. His plan was working. Like a candle out of wick, their precious armor died without its black blood to fuel it.

  No wonder they attacked before the Epertasians were completely devastated. That explained why they didn’t wait for their long-range machines to do their dirty work. That’s why they invaded when they did. Without more black blood arriving, they couldn’t wait for their suits to run dry so they sent their strongest across. They were vulnerable and they knew it.

  The armorless Teks rushed him. He was as excited as a kid on Matthew Day as he drew his sword. He glanced at Alina and Dru.

  They were surrounded and they appeared to surrender. Another net was thrown over Alina’s head. Immediately, she was yanked from her feet and dragged, along with Dru, behind a two-wheeled mechanical horse deep into the enemy’s ranks.

  Rasi collided against the mass of heavily scarred Teks with such fury and anger that his head hurt deep inside his brain. He feared something in his skull was about to explode, which only angered him more
. There was no more conscious thought, no more pity, nor fear. All that remained was a bloodlust he had never experienced before.

  He flailed his sword instinctively while his straps defended him with untold recklessness. As the Teks fell around him, he pressed forward for more. He’d fight their whole army alone if he must just to save her. Their blood, red blood, sprayed into his face and matted his hair as he laid them out before him. Each blow was precise and fatal. This was the kind of war he was trained for.

  The enemy kept coming while Dru and Alina pulled farther away.

  After twenty or more Tek soldiers fell, they stopped coming long enough to step back and try to figure out this crazy freak who slew them single-handedly. Rasi rested with his hands on his hips, gulping precious air. The longer they waited, the stronger he’d get. His sword dangled alongside his leg, ten times heavier than when he’d begun his assault, but it didn’t matter.

  While he waited for their next move, several Teks wheeled out a line of their cannons and aimed them at him. They were proud of themselves. He laughed at them.

  CHAPTER 69

  JOINING THE FIGHT

  The ride across the desert was violent, throwing Simcane’s team around the metal cab of their rolling beast. The constant, brutal vibrations rattled his teeth until they almost fell out. The metal seat was as unforgiving as a rock and his ass started to hurt. His back hurt. Hell, his teeth hurt.

  “Almost there, boys,” he said and emphasized “boys” with a smirk. Gillian stared at him, clearly not amused.

  Through the slits of the cab, they saw the rear of the mighty Tek army. Their soldier-driven mighty killing machines crowded in wait of their precious drinks and Simcane could hardly wait to see their surprise. He hammered the levers against the floor – the beast accelerated like a turtle.

  The unsuspecting Teks formed lines and paths for his travel through their ranks. He approached their cleared isles.

  Just get to the front, he thought. Don’t cause any unnecessary attention.

  He studied their waiting, murderous faces as he passed through. He could fight the temptation no longer and shouted, “Hold on,” before pulling one of the levers halfway back. His mechanical beast veered to the left. The Teks in his path scrambled, but it was too late for some of them. Their bodies beat against the front of the machine with disgusting thumps and thuds as they were dragged beneath. Their bones snapped and popped, muffled by the belly of the behemoth. The machine jerked and bounced and bogged down atop the increasing piles of fresh kills.

  Teks leaped onto the rig, tugging and ripping at the door, but it wouldn’t budge.

  “They make ’em good, don’t they?” B.J. asked, not really expecting an answer.

  Havens Ravine came into view. Simcane continued forward. The Teks had wised up and were able to vacate his path for the most part, though an occasional preoccupied Tek still found his way beneath. Simcane’s beast drudged onward toward the edge of the ravine. He never slowed. The swarming Teks gave up their fight to get into the cab and leaped from the top and sides.

  Gillian grabbed her door handle; Simcane grabbed his own.

  “On my command,” he said.

  Before he could give the command, an explosion cratered the ground in their path. Dirt pelted the machine’s front, sounding like marbles hitting a shield.

  “Hold on,” Simcane yelled while trying unsuccessfully to veer away from the new hole. Their machine dropped forward and bounced and rocked with such violence it battered the team against the sides. Simcane’s injured shoulder slammed against the unyielding metal and he winced. Another final, fierce bounce before they miraculously cleared the hole. Simcane’s head thumped against the ceiling, wrenching his neck.

  He gathered his wits. The machine continued forward.

  “Almost there,” he said as the others moaned from the floor.

  Another explosion rocked the front side of the metal beast. The crew dropped slightly and violently toward Simcane’s side. One of the wheels flew past the front slits but the machine dug into the ground and continued limping forward.

  Simcane opened his door; Gillian did hers as well. She leaped and rolled through the grass. B.J. followed and then Willum. Eldon jumped next and landed in full stride with his sword already drawn. He downed two Tek soldiers before he lost momentum.

  Simcane crouched, preparing to dive into the fracas. Before he leaped, he scanned the battlefield. Near one of the rotted, wooden bridges, a line of Tek soldiers stood next to their fancy, wheeled weapons. They pointed them at a single Epertasian with red tentacles waving above his head.

  Simcane’s machine approached the edge. He lunged from the cab and tumbled along the ground. The metal beast disappeared over the drop off while Simcane’s momentum carried him over as well. He grabbed for something, anything, and clutched one of the Teks’ chained ladders that stretched across. The metal beast exploded below, sending a fireball out of the ravine. The heat would have singed his neck hair if it hadn’t been burned off already. He pulled himself out of the heat to steady ground.

  He surveyed the fight. Some of the exhausted Epertasian army had crossed the bridges but were thinning and giving up ground rapidly. To his left, his team was overrun by an ocean of Tek soldiers. To his right, Rasi was hidden beneath their masses with only his thrashing tentacles above the fray.

  But as the battle seemed most dire, a roar bellowed from the distant northern horizon. The Tek army froze almost at once and turned toward the farmlands. The roar echoed with the beautiful battle cry of ten thousand fresh Epertasian soldiers, growing louder and more intimidating with every hurried step.

  The late-arriving army approached with Terik and Andon leading the way. The Teks cowered backward against the bridge-crossing, battle-weary Epertasians who reached deep within themselves to attack with renewed vigor.

  Simcane’s team fought off their assailants before chasing them northward. Simcane raced to join Rasi’s fight. Rasi appeared from within the Tek swarm as they backed away, confused and defeated. With little other choice, they turned and raced toward the new northern fight.

  The Teks were surrounded; the fight had become fair, or at least fair through Epertasian eyes. Across the ravine, the Teks removed their worthless armor and worked their way back across the bridges to join their comrades. Jarrah, on horseback, led the weakened Epertasian soldiers as they chased from behind. Once he cleared the bridge, he ordered his men to continue as he diverted to Rasi and Simcane with a giant grin.

  “Sir, your plan is working,” he yelled. Simcane agreed.

  Rasi ignored the compliments. As Jarrah neared, Rasi snatched his sleeve, yanked him from his horse, and galloped toward the west and Alina.

  “All you had to do was ask,” Jarrah mumbled as he drew his sword. He turned to Simcane and looked him up and down. “No hard feelings, big fella?”

  Simcane grinned. The rest of his team approached from behind. With a satisfying nod, he led the men toward the fight.

  CHAPTER 70

  ZAFFKA

  Alina and Dru hadn’t gotten far as the fresh tracks from their dragging metal nets revealed. There were hundreds of similar trails, all going in the same direction. Rasi could only wonder why the Teks took so many Epertasians instead of killing them. Probably for slavery, he concluded and that knowledge pushed him faster.

  As he cleared a steep dune he saw his prize – a retreating fortress as big as a castle. Epertasian soldiers, hundreds of them, walked alongside with chains holding them near the fortress. Tek guards rode their two-wheeled machines alongside, whipping any of the men who fell out of line.

  Rasi saw no more need for stealth and galloped toward them, his straps snapping for their next fight. When the Teks saw him, two guards circled around. They never got close. Rasi’s straps left them bloodied in the sand, heartbeats away from death.

  The captive Epertasians cheered while the remaining Teks fled into the back of the machine. Rasi leaped onto the rear of the fortress. He wasn’t
so foolish as to not recognize an unlocked door as an ambush, but he no longer cared. If that was their plan, then his rage welcomed it.

  “They got Queen Alina,” one of the chained soldiers shouted as Rasi entered and closed the door.

  Instead of an ambush, he was met by a poorly lit, narrow staircase. He climbed it with enough noise to announce his arrival. At the top, two Tek guards backed away from their post in a manner more inviting than fearful. They lowered their weapons and their heads and nodded toward a set of massive double doors.

  Rasi passed them with trepidation. His straps lunged for their throats but he called them back. He reached for the handles. The guards nodded for him to continue. He grasped the brass ring handle while bracing for the inevitable blast or attack, or whatever they had planned. But nothing came. He shoved the door inward and then stepped back.

  “Come in,” an old, grizzled voice commanded.

  Rasi stepped into a magnificent ballroom with ceilings nearly as high as the fortress itself. The carpet was red and cushy beneath his feet. The walls were lined with granite statues as high as the ceiling itself of armored soldiers, likely immortalized Tek legends.

  A Tek stood against the distant wall next to a statue wearing his likeness. Not far from that soldier stood another Tek. Behind him, Dru hung by his wrists. The Epertasian had been beaten and was barely conscious.

  Next to Dru, Alina was chained to the floor like a dog. Her cheeks were swollen and purple, her fingertips crusted with blood.

  The heavily armored Tek commander said, “Forgive my Epertasian. I learn recent.”

  Alina yelled, “Rasi! He has weapons on his ar …”

  The Tek bastard kicked her jaw before she could finish. She crumbled.

  Rasi emitted a feral growl. He breathed deeply through his nose with an audible hate, drew his sword, and stepped forward.